Motorcycle club members come to blows with hammers, crowbars near downtown Santa Cruz

at least the sheriff seems to understand the constitution here... pay attention to his comments in the second half of this article.

By Jennifer Squires

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SANTA CRUZ — Rival motorcycle gang members armed with hammers and crowbars fought in a downtown parking lot during the lunch hour Wednesday, though authorities say violence involving the clubs is unusual in the county.

Hells Angels were fighting with Vagos near Front Street and Soquel Avenue around 12:45 p.m., according to 911 callers. But the fight had broken up and the participants had fled by the time cops showed up, Santa Cruz police spokesman Zach Friend said.

One man, a Vagos member, was arrested across the San Lorenzo River near Mike Fox Park.

County resident Thomas Robert Froberg, 37, was stopped on Riverside Avenue when police pulled over a vehicle that witnesses had described as fleeing the fight and officers found a hammer in the car, Friend said. Froberg was booked into County Jail on suspicion of possessing a deadly weapon and a gang allegation, according to police.

No Hells Angels were contacted, though officers searched the area, Friend said. Also, no injuries were reported.

The motorcycle clubs are not new to Santa Cruz or the county, though criminal activity is not common.

"They don't pop up as much," Friend said of the motorcycle groups.

As a result, public fights like Wednesday's altercation are rare.

"I can't think of a serious incident in the last 10 years," Sheriff's Office Sgt. Ian Patrick, who oversees gang investigations in the unincorporated area of the county.

Motorcycle club members have been arrested for personal issues, but no club events have caused problems in recent memory, Patrick said.

The Sheriff's Office doesn't keep track of "outlaw motorcycle gang" membership in the county, Patrick said. A chapter of Hells Angels claims Santa Cruz County, but Patrick said he wouldn't classify them as a criminal street gang under state law based on the contacts, or lack thereof, sheriff's deputies have had with members.

Patrick also said hadn't heard of a local Vagos group, but that some Vagos hang out in the county.

He was careful to note that all motorcycle club members are not gangsters.



"People have a right to meet and congregate and be part of groups and we want to be careful about allowing people to do that within their constitutional rights," Patrick said.

Original article...

http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_14280856?nclick_check=1