January 29, 2007
Developing: Showdown at Hells Angels Headquarters
A couple comments on Gothamist Contribute noted some issues around East 3rd Street today.
- Any idea what happened at the Hell's Angel house on E. 3rd St? Police tape and detectives were around when I walked by earlier this morning.- Regarding the NYPD helicopter.
We live at 72 East 3rd, and there are snipers on the roof next to us aiming at the Hell's Angels who live opposite. There was a big ruck last night. I would imagine theyve got guns in the hells angels building.- The bomb squad just bagged up the Hell's Angel's exterior cameras, and an armored assault vehicle has moved into position. Looks like a showdown.
Now it turns out the police presence is due to a woman being found "critically injured" outside the Hells Angels headquarters. The police have sealed off East 3rd Street. The police want to know if she was attacked inside the building and then dumped on the sidewalk. The police are apparently waiting to get a search warrant to enter the building.
Update: From WNBC 4: "Investigators said they believe someone inside the building came out and began punching the woman in the face until she collapsed to the pavement... Police obtained a search warrant and scoured the building for clues, investigators said. Four men inside the building have been taken in for questioning, according to police...Emergency service units are on the scene and police plan to remove the building's heavy steel doors to try to get inside."
Photograph of Hells Angels exterior - with cameras - by Vidalia on Flickr; lower photograph from across the Hell Angels space by reader Dave
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This is amazing. I had no idea the Hell's Angels have like a corporate headquarters with a logo on the outside of the building. Isn't that like a building that says "Mafia" on the outside?
Note to self: do not knock on door of Hell's Angels house without an invitation.
Note to self: do not knock on door of Hell's Angels house without first receiving an invitation.
I hope they get kicked out!
You don't say? violence coming from the Hell's angels?
I'm shocked, SHOCKED.
I had a friend years ago who bartended at The Edge, just up the street. She was close with the Hells Angels, as were a lot of the staff. One night, she was attacked after work and figured out who the guy was. The Hells Angels got wind of it. The guy disappeared. It was that simple.
There is a pervasive myth that organized crime can somehow make a neighborhood safer. Nothing could be further from the truth as these dangerous, inconsiderate, and greedy people bring more hate, confrontation, and tension to any neighborhood. I look forward to their eviction notice being posted.
Just to clarify... I wasn't advocating for them or any organized crime. It was simply a fact of what happened--and the facts of both the crime and the result were damn frightening.
I totally agree, this safe neighborhood thing is just a myth. They are criminals and as such should be treated as such.
Any group that can assualt a woman in the face neither deserves our respect nor admiration.
Hopefully the NYPD will find something in there to shut this hellhole forever.
Eminent domain should be applied for the sake of the neighborhood.
At the very least I hope they stop acting like the Princes of East 3rd. They are just humans not rockstars, not above the law, can I just walk by on my way to work without you calling me gay and threatening to hit me? Would it be too much to ask of them to not rev their engines at 7:30AM on a Saturday? Call me delicate...
We lived across the street from them (82 E 3rd) and never had any problems. They were always polite and kept the drunks off the streets.
I'm kinda shocked to read this. And also happy we aren't living there anymore.
I'm not shocked in the least. I have always found them to be aggressive and territorial. They make friends with a few folks in the area and are complete menaces to most.
Eminent domain, rico, homeland security, DEA, Use them all to rid this filth out of NYC.
However, this just in, Crank will be in short supply for a while.
In other news, Neighbors will finally have a good night's sleep.
Snipers? Armored vehicles? Please. This is just the latest move from the city to rid the new, gentrified, yuppified East Village from "difficult neighbors." I have lived in the EV for 15 years. The Hells Angels were never a problem. Before that, the squatters were not a problem. But that didn't stop Giuliani from rolling in the tanks. You know what's a problem? The armies of annoying, Starbucks-fueled, rich brats taking over the real estate, acting like jerks, and polluting the air with nonstop cell-phone screeching. This is New York. You want to live somewhere boring? Then, please, move back to the suburbs.
"difficult" neighbors I can handle.
However one's that beat you so bad that you need to be in a medical induced coma in order to perform surgery are the one's that's not needed in this City.
It appears that the majority of those that have commented on this incident and the NYC Hells Angels have gathered information that I just can't seem to locate. Has there been an update to this story that I've missed? Have there been any official, factual reports stating that indeed this group or an individual from within this house actually committed a crime involving this incident or for that matter an official statement regarding an arrest? The last thing I read was that four men had been taken into custody for questioning, but no arrests had been made. Maybe I missed the updates that it appears all of you have gotten stating that these folks indeed committed a crime involving this victim? It seems after reading all of these comments that we should wing our Constitution right out the window, claim that our forefathers had no idea of what they proposed, forget about our judicial system, and let all of you be judge and jury right here on the spot! Has anything at all been proven that this club was involved with this incident? I am in no way condoning the actions by whoever committed this act of senseless violence, which left this woman in the condition described. I just don't think anyone should be hanging anyone for this until there is, minimum, some indication by officials that either someone has been arrested, or until there is a confession. Even if there is an arrest, the person arrested is innocent until proven guilty. For this attitude to prevail amongst the comments is extremely disturbing and frightening. Would the Pope be considered a pedophile because of the crimes that a handful of priests have committed and I might add, have been convicted of these crimes? If some members of the Lions Club committed a crime, does that make the entire organization a criminal organization? After all, regardless of whom or what is being judged here (an individual, a corporation, a club, a group, or whatever) and considering that most of those that have commented feel qualified to judge and make these statements, there still is "the innocent until proven guilty" thing, isn't there? If the general populace in the US thinks as those people that have commented here regarding this incident, and are that quick to judge and are willing to forget about our individual rights, our country is headed towards disaster. These opinions/attitudes smell of profiling, discrimination & hate. Anyone ever notice how history tends to repeat itself? Humans indeed have an extremely short memory. The only person making sense at all regarding this was Jack. He hit it right on the head. Jack, this story does make a great dog & pony show for the NYPD, doesn’t it?!
My friend lives in the building next store and has basically been stuck in her apartment since this has gone on today. The angels did successfully sued the city for illegal search and seizure in the mid-late 90's.
I have observed them drunk and crying on the roof of their building on the 4th of July.
Oh goodie, a hell's nitwit just came on board.
Jack: I left the suburbs 15 years ago to get away from rednecks like these, and yet they have somehow thrived here. you seem to mistake real neighborhood character for a known menace. In all the "bad" neighborhoods I've lived here, I've never, ever been threatened by a man. In fact, it has only happened once in my time here; a few years ago at...The Edge! The harassment was unsolicited, and then inexplicably the manager kicked ME out (not that I wasn't leaving that awful place anyway). On the way, I turned and basically told him he ought to be ashamed of himself for not sticking up for a girl (5'6", petite) in his own establishment. He was very smug about the whole thing.
As much as I too loathe the brats and condos, I won't be sorry to see that place go. If anything they ought to renovate the property for low-income families.
I lived in the building next door all last year and once, one of the hell's angels punched my mom's 65 year old boyfriend in the face because our car was next to their bikes while i was getting out. I'm glad they are finally going to be punished for the numerous assualts they are responsible for.
Oh goody, a profiling, biker hating, uneducated, nazi just came on board!
Why would anyone defend the Hell's Angels?? They're a bunch of overweight infantile losers who can't handle their alcohol and compensate for their small penises and impotence by pretending to actually be able to ride obxnoxiously loud motorcycles while wearing clothes that resemble something from an 80's party-gone-wrong. And that's on their good days, when they're not cranked out of their fucking skulls on bathtub meth and cans of shitty American beer.
I live directly across the street from the HA club on 3rd street and have witnessed them BEATING MANY men AND women UNCONSCIOUS over the years -- all ages, all sexes, it doesn't matter. To be fair, the HA have always given a fair warning before the beating. NOTE TO SELF: if a HA tells you to leave the are, LEAVE. They only ask ONCE.
Are you talking about the Angels or the NYPD?
But seriously, they are one of the last remnants of the EVill of days gone. Enjoy/hate 'em while you can, someday a pocket dog will be shitting on that spot and no one will remember they were there.
I've lived in the east village for almost 20 years, my father for almost 35. I will miss the Hells Angels when I wake up the next day too another twenty thousand NYU students and jerkoffs from New Jersey who come into my neighborhood just to make noise and make a mess.
The following statement was made many years ago. History is repeating itself..... Feel free to change the group names to satisfy your particular brand of PC ignorance.
------------------------------------
When the Nazis came for the communists,
I remained silent; I was not a communist.
When they locked up the social democrats,
I remained silent; I was not a social democrat.
When they came for the trade unionists,
I did not speak out; I was not a trade unionist.
When they came for the Jews,
I did not speak out; I was not a Jew.
When they came for me,
there was no one left to speak out.
- Martin Niemöller
marty, I don't suppose you ever called the police when you witnessed these many crimes?
Didn't anyone ever tell you that it's the secret club of the Satan's Helpers?
Former NYer: Jews (and the others listed) aren't routinely beating the shit out of strangers for no reason. I'm willing to bet you don't see other (black, latino) gang activity as acceptable...I have nothing against cycle groups in general, and I know that some of them actually benefit their communities. The organization on 3rd St isn't one of them.
I'm actually amused at some people on here who fight ALL change, even if it means ditching the bad. There's a difference between, say, preserving your neighborhood and hanging out with the old locals in a bar and romanticizing/defending what are essentially just a bunch of thugs with no respect for others.
Also, if being offended by guys who act violent for no reason and threaten people who park too close to their bikes makes me "PC ignorant," then so be it. I'm sure the family of that poor woman would disagree...
Dear Focus Point,
While I agree with you that rowdy rich kids are no good substitute for the HA. I don't think that's proper justification to defend them. I live in the area and while I have not witnessed beatings they are extrmely threatening. I've noticed they have a habit of yelling and punching the windows of any truck that stops in front of their building. These trucks are always delivery men or construction workers who are briefly stopping to unload equipment or deliveries. Sadly I've seen the HA berate many of these working men for such trivial concerns. Often times these workers don't speak english and the aggressive manner of the HA really doesn't help anyone. I just want to live in place where people are decent to eachother and I can enjoy great food, music, and art from a variety of venues. There is nothing charming, real, or endering about their tantrums.
amen to that ahem!
I'd like to add on to what I said a bit - If I could lose the HA and have nothing in it's place, I'd be happy.
If I could lose the HA and have some READ affordable hosing set up for low income families, I'd be happy.
I'd take the HA over another yuppy condo/NYU dorm anyday.
At least yuppies don't rev motorcycles at 7AM on Sunday thereby setting off multiple nearby car alarms. Maybe I'm just being picky.
Oh that's right, yuppies simply purchase the whole block's worth of properties, raze our homes and haunts, just so they have a place to play for a few years before they pop out 2.5 kids and move to the suburbs, all the while leaving a permanent shift of landscape and path of destruction.
I'd rather hear motorbikes, frankly.
A few motorcycles in the morning as opposed to kids all night? Yes please.
YUPPIES GO HOME. This is the Lower East Side, not middle-america. You F*ck with someone, your going to get beat. This has been the rule for 300 years. Can't take it? Don't come here. If you do come here. FOLLOW THE RULES. The HA do not go around beating up people. I have seen them hurt people who are drunk with beer muscles, or idiots who get a thrill out of messing with their bikes and pushing the limits. The HA always give you a chance to walk away. You don't listen, you get hurt.
How much did it cost the tax payers of the city to have the police show off all their fancy toys? There have been NO arrests...What a bunch of cop BULL*#@! This little police dog and pony show will cost the tax payers millions of dollars in a civil damages for the HA. Why don't we just have a "Cop Stupidity Tax" ...so we can adjust the city budget accordingly.
ps. Tell the cops to bring the clubhouse door back!
THE DRUNKEN IGNORANT SHOULD BE SEEN AND NOT HEARD...
I can't wait until the neighborhood contains no one who was born in NY.
@ 3:00 am....@ a computer....out of town small dick loser...
The dog and pony show put on by the city/police shows how much money value there is to them in the new yuppified LES. A black woman gets beaten and dumped on a doorstep in the Bronx? No tanks, no snipers, no SWAT teams. When it happens to a white lady in YUPPIE-ville? Different story. It's very simple.
I bet that property the Hell's Angels are on has a big fat pricetag on it that god knows how many condo developers are drooling over to get their greedy hands on. I can just imagine the conversation that happened behind closed doors on this one--"Here's our chance to get rid of those bikers and build a new condo! Send in the SWAT teams!"--someone, somewhere saw a major profit potential and they jumped on it. It has nothing to do with altruism or keeping the streets safe.
how about Hells Angels not Hell's Angel
at least get that right