Posted on 08/29/2015 6:17:21 PM PDT by Elderberry
The Texas Court of Appeals has determined over the last week that officials had probable cause in only five of the 177 arrests following a shootout between two rival biker gangs and local, state and federal authorities outside of a Waco restaurant in May, with just over a dozen more cases set to be reviewed over the next two weeks.
Among those still facing charges are a Bandidos chaplain and a husband and wife. Officials also found probable cause against Bandidos members Marcus Pilkington, 36, and Reginald Weathers, 43, who ascertain they are “being illegally confined” and authorities lack sufficient evidence to prove they engaged in organized criminal activity the day of the shootout, the Waco Tribune-Herald reported.
Nine men were killed during the exchange of gunfire that day and another 20 were injured. Authorities confiscated more than 475 weapons, including 151 firearms. No innocent civilians or law enforcement were injured during the shootout.
The incident remains under investigation, which is headed by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, but a great deal of questions still remain, including who fired the fatal shots, which authorities have yet to disclose. However, Waco Police Chief Brent Stroman confirmed in June that a total of 12 rounds were fired by three Waco officers that day, leaving the remaining rounds at the hands of either the bikers or state and federal authorities.
At last count, 44 shell casings were recovered from the scene, including multiple .223 rounds, but ballistics evidence has not been made public at this time, despite the fact that autopsy reports were already released earlier this month, including vague descriptions of the injury-causing projectiles.
Weathers said the whole incident unfolded over a dispute about a parking space and a perceived act of disrespect, but while the melee initially involved the bikers, it’s unknown when authorities engaged.
According to Weathers, he and more than a dozen other members were outside of the Twin Peaks restaurant, while numerous members of the Cossacks, a rival biker gang, were near the patio area. A member of the Cossacks allegedly yelled at Bandidos club President David Martinez, saying he could not park in a particular space, but Weathers said he had not even pulled into the space at that point. Weathers, feeling his club president had been disrespected, then told the Cossacks member not to talk to his president that way, to which that member responded by punching Weathers in the face, he alleges.
Weathers said he covered his face in a defensive stance, but was soon pushed to the ground. Moments later, he heard gunshots, what he described as a “double tap.” Weathers was shot in the arm, but admitted that he did not know where the first shots came from because he was engaged in a fight with other bikers at the time.
Weathers said altogether the entire incident only lasted about four or five minutes.
It's bullshit and should be taken down.
That’s the problem, trying to understand, anything written by a reporter.
Maybe not a professional writer. I am guessing from what has been released about this case that the premise of this article is incorrect. I think if all the rest of the charged had been cleared it would make a lot more news
How many of the “weapons” found were actually wallet chains? Not a real threat to anyone to be armed with a wallet chain. However, I bet there are many on FR who do not know what a wallet chain is.
>>> That’s the problem, trying to understand, anything written by a reporter. <<<
It’s not that the writing is bad, it’s that the premise of 150-odd bikers having charges dropped that looks bogus.
I’ve been following this quite closely (as have others here) and there’s been no hint of charges being dropped anywhere in the news.
LOL
Especially since he wanted the whole subhuman lot lined up and shot.
Should we send him condolence cards?
What a great night this is turning out to be!
:D
I am not seeing any mention of this on their FB pages and they do a great job of being on the bleeding edge of what is happening down there.
I WANT ONE!
Seriously?
I have two left.
Cover the cost and shipping and I’ll send you one.
You ever been punched by a fist wrapped in a wallet chain?
*snicker*
Deal. Freepmail me . . .
It’s how you keep your stuff from falling outta your pocket at 70mph.
I have a really cool one but I keep my keys on it, instead, not having a “wallet”, per se.
:)
But say goodbye to this thread, I think it's going bye-bye. False hopes. And for a second there I thought a whole slew of hearings had taken place, or a judge somewhere had made a bold move without being asked to (they usually can't do that, not justifiably legally).
Jennifer Cruz, the writer of this article, likely got whatever she was reading from elsewhere, a little bit crossed-up. She wrote an article that was carried a misleading headline, probably.
But I'm still looking for the time when there will be an article headlined "charges dismissed" for a fairly long list.
Yep, I’ve been googling (actually duckduckgoing, but that sounds weird) willy-nilly and have found nothing that substantiates the information. Either someone intentionally fed her misinformation or she misunderstood what was happening in the courts on this case.
Things being what they are [dangerous] I stopped carrying a handbag, long ago.
My cards are in my back pocket and my cash is in my front pocket.
“Skinny jeans” [aka Spray-Painted Pants] make pick pocketing pointless and who’s gonna grab a purse that is not there?
:)
I also hope for that happy day when this travesty is sorted out but I’m not holding my breath.
Truth might be too expensive to be set free.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.