OFF THE WIRE
Richard West Arrested During Hells Angel Rally In Gunnison
Alan Gathright, 7NEWS Content Producer
DENVER -- A high-ranking Hells Angel motorcycle gang leader has been indicted on a handgun violation by a Denver federal grand jury.
Richard E. West, 44, vice president of Hells Angels' New York chapter, was indicted Thursday on a charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm, United States Attorney John Walsh and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Special Agent in Charge Marvin Richardson announced Monday.
West is being held in federal custody without bond. SPECIAL: iPads for $24.99?
BREAKING News: New secret auction website has surplus items at…
Discover more...NOW: iPads for only $17.37?
New iPads being auctioned for 95% off retail. Sign up and bid!
Look...
West was arrested July 28 in Gunnison County after law enforcement officer stopped about 20 motorcycle riders wearing Hells Angels "colors," according to a statement by Jeffrey Dorschner, spokesman for the U.S. Department of Justice in Colorado. The westbound group of riders were stopped for spreading into the eastbound lane.
The law enforcement officers discovered that West, who had a "vice president" patch on his jacket, had a loaded Bulldog Pug .44-caliber revolver tucked in his waistband, according to court records.
The arrest occurred during the motorcycle gang's annual "USA Run" rally in Gunnison between July 28 and Aug. 1, the Gunnison Times reported. An estimated 500 members of the gang stayed at an inn east of town.
West was arrested, while other riders received traffic citations, he said.
The Hells Angels' gathering was closely monitored by a coalition of local, state and federal law enforcement agencies that worked more than six months preparing for the Gunnison rally, Dorschner said.
"Thanks to thorough law enforcement planning, and the excellent work of a coalition of law enforcement agencies, a convicted felon with a loaded firearm was arrested and taken off the streets of Colorado," U.S. Attorney John Walsh said in a statement.
West had a previous felony conviction out of New York in 2004 for felony third-degree criminal possession of a loaded firearm, Dorschner said. It is felony violation of federal law for felons to possess firearms.
If convicted, West faces up to 10 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine, Dorschner said.
