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Tuesday, April 30, 2002
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

LAUGHLIN SHOOTOUT: Signs told of melee in making

Police warned casino operators of possible trouble at biker event

Law enforcement intelligence reports warned of a potential confrontation between two outlaw motorcycle gangs prior to a Saturday melee in Laughlin that left three bikers dead, according to court documents and interviews with gaming officials.

Las Vegas Justice Court documents indicate police had information detailing a potential clash between the Hells Angels and Mongols motorcycle gangs at the Laughlin River Run.

"Intelligence reports indicated the Mongols intended to bolster their status by attacking members of the Hells Angels," Las Vegas police detectives wrote in an arrest report filed Saturday.

The reports of possible violence were taken so seriously that police warned Laughlin casino operators of potential trouble before the start of the weekend's River Run, gaming sources said.

But the warnings did not prevent Saturday's battle inside the Harrah's Laughlin casino, which left three dead and sent about a dozen others to hospitals.

"Going into the weekend, all that was known was that the amount of violence nationwide between the biker gangs was on the rise," said a casino industry executive who requested anonymity.

As of Monday, police still were trying to sort through exactly what happened at the casino and who was involved. So far, only one person has been arrested.

That man, identified in Las Vegas Justice Court records as Calvin B. Schaefer, was in custody at the Clark County Detention Center as of Monday evening. Schaefer, whose name is spelled differently in separate documents, is charged with murder in connection with the gang battle.

The dead were identified Monday by the Clark County coroner's office as Robert Emmet Tumelty, 50, of Stockton, Calif.; Jeramie Dean Bell, 27, of Hughson, Calif.; and Anthony Salvador Barrera, 43, of Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.

An arrest report filed by police in Schaefer's case labels Tumelty as a member of the Hells Angels. The report identifies Barrera as a member of the Mongols. It was not clear whether Bell was affiliated with a gang.

Schaefer, the accused gunman in the case, is believed to be a member of the Hells Angels, Las Vegas police Lt. Tom Monahan said Monday.

According to the arrest report, police have a surveillance videotape showing the entire melee, and on the tape, a man later identified as Schaefer is shown firing several shots inside Harrah's. Schaefer is then shown "hiding the handgun in a trash can located at the south end of the cage area."

The gun was later recovered by police, according to the arrest report.

"Detectives were able to view the videotapes of the shooting and identified the shooter in the cage cashier area as Schaefer," detectives wrote.

Monahan said police are reviewing the contents of the surveillance videotape in an effort to identify other suspects. He said more charges likely will be filed in the case.

"It its not as simple as it may sound," Monahan said of police attempts to identify suspects on the videotape.

"There are a variety of viewpoints on the tape and it is not edited," he said. "There is no printed cast of characters."

Monahan said the process of identifying and arresting suspects could take "weeks, if not months."

The violence at Harrah's erupted hours after a motorcycle gang member was found shot to death about 100 miles outside of Laughlin, in San Bernardino County, Calif. That man has been identified as a Christian H. Tate of San Diego. Tate had a Hells Angels insignia on his jacket.

Monahan said police are investigating whether that killing is related to the gang battle in Laughlin.

Gaming bosses said they believed the tone of the partying in Laughlin changed after news circulated that Tate had been found slain.

Casino sources say word of the apparent shooting filtered back to Laughlin, where Hells Angels left their temporary headquarters, the Flamingo, in small groups and rode to confront the Mongols at their base, Harrah's.

"This event was going to come off without incident until the body was found," one of the casino sources said.

Casino industry sources also said Monday that the warning issued by police prior to this year's River Run is not unusual for the event, which draws some 40,000 to 80,000 motorcycle enthusiasts annually.

And the sources said the warnings of possible violence came in conjunction with a recent series of violent battles between Southern California biker gangs.

Last month, San Bernardino County deputies were forced to break up a ringside battle involving 200 to 300 people at the Casino Morongo Events Center, 20 miles west of Palm Springs, after dozens of Mongols biker gang members were enraged by the outcome of an ultimate fighting competition, which meshes boxing and martial arts. According to newspaper accounts, several people were treated at hospitals for a variety of injuries, including one stabbing victim.

In October, members of the Hells Angels and Vagos motorcycle clubs fought during a swap meet at the Orange County Fairgrounds in Costa Mesa, Calif. Members of the Mongols biker gang also attended the event, but it was unclear whether they were involved in the fight, which did not lead to any serious injuries.

Similar battles have been fought elsewhere in the country by members of the country's 20 to 30 outlaw biker gangs, leading to last week's uncertain environment.

"There were rumblings going in, but later in the week it appeared things were going to be calm," said a second casino industry source who requested anonymity.

Of those injured, officials said Monday that five victims remained at University Medical Center. The remaining patients were all men. A 43-year-old was in fair condition, and patients ages 29, 31, 47 and 51 were in good condition.

Review-Journal staff writer Joelle Babula contributed to this report.