OFF THE WIRE
MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WMBF) - A type of bikers known as "1 Percenters" are joining the thousands of motorcycle enthusiasts in Myrtle Beach this week, and their violent reputations have area police going on the defense.
A special team of officers with the Myrtle Beach Police Department has been tasked this week with monitoring the activity of biker gangs like Hell's Angels, The Outlaws and The Banditos as they travel to the Grand Strand for Harley Bike Week.
"They've been coming here since the 80s," Capt. Kevin Heins, of the Myrtle Beach Police Department, said. "[They come] just because of the crowds."
While many members of those organizations don't come with an extensive criminal background, it's the job of Heins and his team of officers to identify which members do.
"One percent of all bikers are outlaws that don't confirm to our norms - to society's laws," Heins said.
Crimes associated with those bikers known as "1 Percenters" range from simple assault to alleged shootings.
Heins and his team monitor organizations on the Grand Strand year-round who are known for acting as support groups to larger biker gangs. Heins says several of those groups are located in Little River, Loris, Longs and Conway.
Myrtle Beach Police will be following members of these support groups, in addition to Hell's Angels, The Banditos and The Outlaws, during the 2011 Bike Week as a precautionary measure. Officers say they want to make sure members avoid any potentially violent run-ins with rival organizations, altercations, and problems with the public.
Sources tell WMBF News that Horry County Police are investigating whether or not an assault involving a weapon reported at SBB in Murrells Inlet on Wednesday night was related to biker gangs.
When WMBF News asked several bikers across the Grand Strand on Thursday what they think would happen if these groups were not monitored properly, many responded with the same answer.
"If the cops wouldn't be here, it would be bad," Roger Wright, of Kentucky, said.
Wright enforced that while not all biker gang members are violent in nature, he's seen the damage of those who are. Wright says he's heard stories of fights involving biker gang members that have resulted in death.
"Just because one's wearing a patch and the other's wearing a different patch, they're going to bump heads," he explained. "There will be problems."
While several officers at the Myrtle Beach Police Department are focusing their efforts on keeping violence at bay during Harley Bike Week, they'll turn around and begin a new round of patrolling next week.
Officers tell WMBF News a new set of biker gangs head to the Grand Strand to participate in the Memorial Day Bike Fest, an event concentrated in the North Strand towards Atlantic Beach.
http://www.wmbfnews.com/story/14681380/mbpd-going-on-the-defense-to-keep-biker-gang-violence-at-bay
