Outlaws motorcycle gang in shootout with ATF; 1 biker killed
| Old Orchard Beach, Maine
Federal agents attempting to arrest two members of the Outlaws motorcycle gang as part of a seven-state sweep shot and killed one of them in an early morning gunfight Tuesday.
More than two dozen Outlaws members across the country were charged Tuesday in Virginia with participating in a criminal enterprise.
A SWAT team from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives was fired upon at about 6 a.m. while attempting to arrest Thomas "Tomcat" Mayne, 59, the regional treasurer for the Outlaws, along with Kenneth Chretian, according to ATF spokesman Michael Campbell.
Mayne was killed. Two women also were in the house, but nobody else was injured in the shootout, according to the attorney general's office.
The SWAT team was used because the ATF viewed the suspects as being part of a "violent criminal enterprise," said Glenn N. Anderson, ATF special agent in charge of the Boston office. He said the agents were fired at when they arrived.
Authorities found a shotgun and a handgun inside the house after the shooting.
Mayne was one of 27 members and associates of the American Outlaw Association motorcycle gang charged in the indictment unsealed Tuesday in Richmond, Va. A federal grand jury charged many of the defendants with racketeering for allegedly participating in a criminal enterprise involved in attempted murder, kidnapping, extortion, illegal gambling and drug dealing. Defendants are from Wisconsin, Maine, Montana, North Carolina, Tennessee, South Carolina and Virginia.
In Milwaukee, ATF agents served a search warrant at the American Outlaw Association headquarters, a foreboding black building adorned with red-eyed skulls over crossed pistons and a sign showing an extended middle finger. Arrested there was Jack Rosga, whom federal officials described as the group's national president. The agents also carried out a number of boxes, plastic bags and file folders.
A federal judge in Milwaukee ordered Rosga held Tuesday until he could be transferred to Virginia.
Chip Burke, the defense attorney representing Rosga until his transfer, said prosecutors may be overstating Rosga's role with the group. He noted Rosga is charged with two counts of conspiracy but wasn't explicitly accused of committing violence.
The indictment alleges the Outlaws were engaged in violent activities to expand their influence and gain control against rival motorcycle gangs, including the Hell's Angels.
One count alleges that Rosga directed gang members to retaliate against the Hell's Angels for an attack onOutlaws members, resulting in a murder attempt in Canaan, Maine.
In Old Orchard Beach, the shooting happened at a brown, shingled home on a quiet cul de sac, and there were no outward signs of any motorcycle gang activity.
The tax assessor's office indicated the home is owned by Thomas Mayne, his wife and Chretian. Friends say Chretian was Mayne's brother-in-law.
Despite the shooting, there was no cause for alarm for either residents or tourists visiting Old Orchard Beach, said Police Chief Dana Kelley. He declined to comment on the motorcycle gang's presence in the town.
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