Tuesday, March 27, 2012

AUSTRALIA - Angels salute Gold Coast, get ticketed


OFF THE WIRE
A SINGLE finger salute ended the Hells Angels' stay on the Gold Coast with a ticket.
Under cover of darkness, the outlaw motorcycle gxxg left their plush holiday digs at the four-star Mantra Sun City Resort in Surfers Paradise about 3am, according to police.
A few stragglers followed in daylight hours, in dribs and drabs, while others loaded their bikes on to trucks and disappeared.
Police in highly visible patrol cars had the high rise surrounded and followed the groups as they left.
One pack of bikies leaving in a car waved to police and media on their way out, before a rude gesture was made.
Police pulled the car over 30 seconds later and were seen writing the driver a ticket.
More than 200 patched members were on the Coast from Friday, staying three days as part of their annual national run, despite it being the heartland of the rival Finks gxxg.
Thumbing their noses at the Finks, a light plane circled Surfers Paradise for a few hours carrying a banner proclaiming "Hells Angels 36 Annual Run".
In December, shots were fired into a Hells Angels gym at Helensvale in what police consider was a warning.
But the Hells Angels' Gold Coast holiday was mostly uneventful. Police said that there were just minor arrests for disrupting police and entering a licensed premise after being asked to leave.
A police spokesman said that arrest figures were not available, but that the numbers were low.
A Sun City resident -- who declined to be named -- said she was surprised how quiet the bikies were.
"A couple of my neighbours left for the weekend because they were scared, but it was really quiet," the resident said.
Officers from State Crime Operations Command's outlaw motorcycle gang unit, Task Force Hydra -- a bikie-centric unit -- together with officers from the regions, State Traffic Support Branch as well as Operations Support Command united to monitor the group's activities over the weekend.

http://www.goldcoast.com.au/article/2012/03/26/402541_gold-coast-news.html