Sparks, Nevada, Sept. 24 — The annual Street Vibrations bike run has been left in turmoil after a gunfight at John Ascuaga’s Nugget hotel and casino between members of the rival Hells Angels and Vagos motorcycle clubs resulted in the death of of one man and the hospitalization of two others. The fracas erupted on the casino floor shortly before midnight on Friday, reportedly starting as a fistfight and escalating into the armed conflict that killed the president of the San Jose chapter of the Hells Angels and the wounding of two Vagos members.
A second incident on Saturday, an apparent drive-by shooting, put still another biker in the hospital with a gunshot wound to the stomach. At that point the mayor of Sparks declared a state of emergency, stating the “the safety and security of the public is our number one priority,” and ordered the closure of the Street Vibrations operations in that city.
Thunder press correspondant Felicia Morgan has been lodged at the Nugget for the event and filed this report on Saturday evening:
“The mayhem has been horrible. All vendors out in Sparks were shut down early. Closed by 5 p.m. The cops came and shut them down. Roadshows (the Street Vibrations producer) complied. Downtown Reno and Virginia City were not affected. 90 percent are already gone.”
by Terry Roorda
