Complaints About Horsemen Led To Deadly Bar Shootout

OFF THE WIRE
Source: local12.com
Cincinnati Police Chief Tom Streicher says complaints about the Iron Horsemen motorcycle gang led them to investigate activity at a Camp Washington bar this weekend. That investigation ended in a shootout between officers and members of the gang, killing one gang member and injured two police officers and a second gang member.

Harold Seavey, an enforcer for the Iron Horsemen, was shot and killed during the incident Saturday night at J.D.'s Honky Tonk Bar on Spring Grove Avenue. The names of the injured police officers and the injured Iron Horseman have not been released.

At a news conference this morning, Chief Streicher says that the delay in releasing information about the shootout was because the two injured undercover officers have been under sedation and were not available for debriefing until yesterday.

Using a power point presentation, Streicher explained the chain of events leading up to the shootout Saturday night. Streicher said there was an ongoing investigation after complaints from other bars in Cincinnati and Cheviot claiming Iron Horsemen were reportedly going into bars. Once inside, they'd close the door, position members at bar and check every person to see if anyone is associated with their rival Detroit Highwayman Motorcycle Gang.

Streicher says a patrolling officer noticed motorcycles in the parking lot of J.D. Honkey Tonk Bar and noticed patrons in an outside beer garden wearing the colors known to be associated with the Iron Horseman. Because of those previous complaints, the patrolling officer decided to notify his supervisor.

A team of uniformed and undercover officers assembled a caravan of vehicles a few blocks away. The uniform car was at the lead point, so as to avoid questions about whether police are on the scene. All officers from the vice squad were wearing a black vest clearly marked "police" on the front and back with a Cincinnati Police patch.

As officers pulled up, an enforcer for the Iron Horseman named Harold Seavey retreated into side door of bar. Officers observed him reach inside his jacket and get a 9 millimeter pistol out of a holster. They immediately told him to drop the weapon. Seavey began firing on the officers. One officer was hit in the leg and collapsed on the ground. As he tried to sit up, he saw Seavey come out of the bar toward him, continuing to fire on the other officers. The injured officer fired 10-11 shots at Seavey.

A second officer was hit in the buttocks with a bullet from Seavey. A third officer in a different position fired twice at Seavey. Seavey was hit in the shoulder-the bullet traveled through both lungs and severed his spine. Chief Streicher don't know which officer's shot killed Seavey. A second Iron Horseman was shot in the foot-it's not clear where that bullet came from.

Officers dragged the injured officers to safety. Everyone else in the bar complied with police officer's commands. Streicher says Horseman Lew Erksin admitted to having two guns when questioned by officers. He had a concealed carry permit but that does not allow him to carry a gun into a liquor establishment-he was then charged with a felony.

There is video of part of the shootout from a motion-activated camera outside the bar.

The injured officers are now home recovering.