SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — Federal agents and Spokane police have raided the Washington state headquarters of the Hells Angels motorcycle club.
The Spokesman-Review reports that authorities described the raid as part of an ongoing investigation, but they wouldn’t say what kind of potential criminal charges are being considered.
Heavily armed law enforcement officers entered the building on Spokane’s east side about 10:30 a.m. Thursday. Armored support vehicles were stationed nearby.
In the past the motorcycle club’s Washington chapter has been linked to extortion schemes and murder. Two former members of the Spokane chapter were convicted in 2007 of involvement in a Snohomish County murder, and its then-president, Richard “Smilin’ Rick” Fabel, was convicted of racketeering. Fabel is scheduled to be released from federal prison in July 2012.
