He said it was his understanding that the Bandidos had given permission, saying the Cossacks had earned it by being around since 1969.Īs Ledbetter and his father sat on the patio of Twin Peaks, in the corner of a new outdoor mall, support groups for the Bandidos started rolling in. The Cossacks started wearing the Texas patches back in August, Ledbetter said. The Bandidos have long considered the patch as marking their territory, and the only riders who can wear them must have Bandidos approval. There had been simmering tension between the two groups, particularly about the use of a patch, known as a bottom rocker, which says "Texas" and is worn on the back of cycling vests.
Good news, Ledbetter thought, as the Bandidos weren't coming in force.
They were not even wearing their leather riding vests, known as cuts, but T-shirts with "Bandidos" on the back. He and his father - whose real name was Danny Boyett - and the other Cossacks arrived before the Bandidos, considered one of the nations's largest and most powerful motorcycle gangs.īut when the Bandidos did arrive, Ledbetter, also known as "Criddick," said there were only 11 of them, and they were riding in three pickups, not on motorcycles. Ledbetter, a former bouncer who was working as a Hyundai mechanic, had his right arm in a sling that day, the result of a recent accident. Of the 8 OMG's the FBI has listed, Winterhalder says at least four have chapters in Oklahoma.The other person to die was not affiliated with either the Cossacks or Bandidos. On their website, the FBI says, "The Bandidos are involved in transporting and distributing cocaine and marijuana and are involved in the production, transportation and distribution of methamphetamine." The FBI lists the Bandidos as an Outlaw Motorcycle Gang (OMG). They're just very secretive people and they like to keep to themselves that's all.”īut others say there is a reason for concern. He says only a minority of the members support themselves with through crime. They go to work every day, the only thing they are guilty of is having a little too much fun on the weekends.” “A majority of the guys, 60 to 90%, are regular working guys,” said Winterhalder. He estimates there are currently about 20 members of the Bandidos in Oklahoma in 3 or 4 chapters along with numerous support clubs. He has since written 10 books about motorcycle clubs and the biker culture. He was also a close associate of the club since the early 80s.
A former Oklahoma Bandido says the motorcycle gang is currently operating in Oklahoma.Įdward Winterhalder says he was the one who brought the Bandidos into Oklahoma and was member from 1997 until 2003 before moving to Michigan. Police now say the mayhem in Waco, Texas that left nine dead was a fight between two rival motorcycle gangs: the Cossacks and the Bandidos.
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