Street brawl points to new outlaw motorcycle gang rivalry in Santa Cruz County

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SANTA CRUZ - Rival motorcycle gangs may be fighting it out to claim Santa Cruz County, a battle that played out on a downtown Santa Cruz sidewalk three months ago.

Early this year, a small group of Vagos Motorcycle Club members started a chapter in Santa Cruz County, an area long claimed by Hells Angels.

About 10 days later, two suspected Hells Angels ran after two Vagos members on motorcycles. The Vagos sped off and the Hells Angels gave up the chase - one armed with a hammer tossed the weapon - but a third Vago in driving behind the motorcyclists in a van allegedly went after the Hells Angels, according to testimony from Santa Cruz police officers during the preliminary hearing Monday for the third Vago, Thomas Froberg, 37.

Froberg, a Live Oak resident, was arrested at Mike Fox Park shortly after the brawl on suspicion of gang participation and fighting in public. Both the Vagos and Hells Angels are considered "outlaw gangs" by law enforcement.

Monday, Judge Robert Atack ruled there was enough evidence to hold Froberg for a trial on the charges, which could send him to state prison if he's convicted.

Froberg, who is free on bail, declined to comment after the hearing.

Froberg, a heavy-set man with a shaved head and goatee, told police he was the "road captain," one of several offices in a Vagos organization, for the newly formed Santa Cruz chapter, according to Santa Cruz police officer Mike Bailey.

The afternoon of Jan. 27, Froberg was trailing two other members as they rode from downtown to a friend's shop in Pleasure Point when the two men ran after the motorcyclists, witnesses told police. Froberg, whose white Chevy Astro van was a couple cars behind the bikers, honked to get their attention, then allegedly pulled across three lanes of traffic on Front Street to cut off the runners near Soquel Avenue, police testified in court.

Froberg jumped out of the van wearing a black T-shirt with a green Vagos insignia on it, according to police. From there, it's unclear who confronted whom and which side was responsible for the first punch.

Froberg ended up on the ground with his shirt ripped off fighting for control of a hammer that was being used against him, police testified. As many as five people were attacking him until the two other Vagos returned and broke up the fight, police testified.

Some of the attackers wore red and white - the colors of Hells Angels - and one wore a "fully cut" vest, meaning he was a Hells Angel member, according to police testimony about Froberg's statements.

Froberg's attorney, Michelle Lipperd, repeatedly asked police if Froberg had a right to defend himself. Later, his County Jail mug shot would show a boot print bruise on Froberg's forehead.

A new motorcycle gang would want to prove itself by not running away from a fight, according to Jorge Gil-Blanco, a retired cop who's now an outlaw motorcycle gang expert with the Western States Information Network, a federally funded law enforcement program.

"They're expected to stand up and take care of business because you don't want to back down to a rival," Gil-Blanco said.

The Vagos held a grand opening at the Brookdale Inn and Spa 10 days before the downtown fight, Bailey said, testifying about his conversation with Froberg after the fight. Several Hells Angels members were in attendance and supportive of the new club, Froberg reportedly told police.

When contacted Monday, a Brookdale Inn and Spa employee said the Vagos had made a reservation but the San Lorenzo Valley lodge never hosted the event.

Gil-Blanco testified that it would be unusual for the Hells Angels to welcome another motorcycle gang into the club's territory. However, he did note that there are areas, such as San Jose, where the Vagos and Hells Angels co-exist peacefully.

Froberg told police the new club was a clean and sober organization with about seven members, Bailey testified. Some, like Froberg, were from the Sacramento area.

"He related it to a motorcycle club of the '60s and '70s," Bailey testified Monday, "which meant family, extended family. They were not into any type of criminal activity."

The Vagos evolved from the Psychos Motorcycle Club in Southern California in 1965. The gang associates with the color green, the No. 22 and Loki, the mythical god of mischief, Gil-Blanco said.

For years, the Vagos were a small group in San Bernardino County, but in the past decade the club has grown substantially. They now boast about 30 chapters and 300 to 400 members worldwide. Most groups are based on the West Coast, including California, Arizona, Oregon and Hawaii, Gil-Blanco said.

On a national scale, Vagos are involved in methamphetamine production, sales and transportation, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

During Froberg's hearing, prosecutor Alex Byers also introduced information about two assault cases involving Vagos members in Southern California to support the gang allegations, charges that typically are used only on Latino street gang members in Santa Cruz County. Froberg was not involved in either incident, Gil-Blanco noted.

No other motorcycle club members have been arrested on suspicion of gang activity since the downtown fight.

"I don't know any recent activity," said Sgt. Dan Campos of the Sheriff's Office though he said deputies have been on "high alert" since the fight.

However, three days after the street brawl an off-duty sheriff's deputy called Scotts Valley police when he saw Vagos members gassing up at a Scotts Valley Drive gas station, according to Scotts Valley police Lt. John Wilson. Police followed the group down Highway 17 to Ocean Street in Santa Cruz, but no one was stopped and no arrests were made.

"They didn't do anything illegal," Wilson said. "There wasn't an actual incident. They were just maybe rolling through our city getting gas."

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