OFF THE WIRE
CINCINNATI -- Cincinnati's police chief talked to the media Thursday about a weekend shootout that left two officers wounded and a biker dead.
Cincinnati Police Chief Tom Streicher used a PowerPoint presentation to discuss the timeline and actions involved in the shooting at JD's Honky Tonk and Emporium, which he said has left officers on high alert.
"I don't intend to pick a fight," he said. "We don't need to pick a fight with people. I don't need a war erupting between police officers and Iron Horsemen."
He said the incident began weeks earlier when complaints started to come in from bars along the west side of Cincinnati that the Iron Horsemen Motorcycle Club would arrive in large numbers and "take over," blocking doors and questioning patrons to find members of the Detroit Highwaymen Motorcycle Club.
Streicher said a vice officer on Saturday spotted a large number of motorcycles and some Iron Horsemen outside the Spring Grove Avenue bar and called his supervisor.
The chief said a plan was quickly put together to visit the bar and talk with the club members about the complaints.
But when the caravan of 14 officers, including three vice officers wearing masks, arrived at the bar, Streicher said Iron Horsemen member Harry Seavey Jr., 51, of Portland, Maine, pulled out a 9mm handgun and opened fire.
Chief Explains How Biker Shootout Went Down
A flanking officer shot Seavey in the left side, and the bullet passed through his chest, damaging both lungs and severing Seavey's spine, Streicher said.
Streicher said investigators do not know why Seavey opened fire, but he said the biker had been previously involved in a shootout in Maine.
Another club member was shot in the foot, but Streicher said police don't know whether the man was shot by Seavey or officers.
Streicher said all of the other bikers complied with police instructions. The chief said one member, Lew Erskine, was arrested for having two guns in a business that serves liquor.
The chief said he wanted to make clear that the department was not choosing sides in the turf battle between the Iron Horsemen and the Detroit Highwaymen.
"To date, they haven't presented a problem for us," Streicher said. "There's a lot of supposition out there about why they're here."
Streicher said some have speculated that the planned casino at Broadway Commons might be related to the turf wars.
The national president of the Iron Horsemen has issued a no-fly directive, meaning that members won't display their group's colors temporarily.
Streiche r said he wasn't sure whether that directive would remain in effect past this weekend's burial of Seavey in Maine.
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