An outburst of violence last Sunday between rival motorcycle gangs the Bandidos and Cossacks at a Twin Peaks restaurant in Waco, Texas last Sunday confirmed law enforcement officials’ belief that tension between the two clubs has been high as of late. Officers had been stationed at the restaurant to prevent any violence from breaking out, however that did not stop this gunfire. Investigators processing the scene of the massive shootout between the clubs and police are continuing to find more weapons that were hidden throughout the restaurant. According to witnesses, an argument in the bathroom ignited the fight which was later followed by gun shots outside the building. Even with police just a couple seconds away, the rivals continued on with their actions.

“They knew we were seconds away and going to respond. That did not matter to them,” Sergeant W.Patrick Swanton of the Waco Police Department.

As police responded to the report of shots fired at the restaurant, bikers began turning their weapons on law enforcement. After the ensuing firefight between the gangs and police, nine bikers were dead, 18 hospitalized, and another 170 were arrested and charged with various crimes. Some bikers were found with a variety of weapons including brass knuckles, clubs, chains, knives and guns. Throughout the crime scene, investigators confiscated over a 100 weapons from the bodies of the dead, officials rose that number to 318 weapons, many of which were stashed throughout the property.

“These were vicious criminals that knew that they were in trouble, and they were trying to dispose of evidence,” Swanton says.

As a result of the brawl at Twin Peaks, the restaurant is currently closed in fear of potential violence erupting again. Along with that, the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission has suspended the Peaks liquor license for seven days until the investigation is closed. Although Twin Peaks is working to return to full service, officials report that the restaurant did not uphold security standards so that everyone is safe in public areas.

“Are we frustrated? Sure, because we feel like there may have been more that could have been done by a business to prevent this,” reports Swanton.

After the news began to diffuse throughout the local Texas area, families rushed to the scene to find whether or not their loved ones had been victims of the brawl. Of those families, Rocki Hughes learned that her ex-husband, Jacob Lee Rhyne, had been killed in the fight. Her children saw a photo of their fathers’ body on the tailgate of a truck and quickly informed their mother. Hughes reports that Rhyne had originally gone to Twin Peaks in an effort to make peace with the Bandidos, but things seemed to only unravel from there. As many perceive bikers as violent, Hughes tells reporters that Rhyne was the complete opposite of the normal.

“Our kids are broken up. He was an awesome father, and just as good as a friend, and I don’t understand it either,” reports Hughes.

Many of the bikers arrested have not had their day in court yet, many families criticize the bail as being very high and unfair. Among those who have been affected, the son of Sandra and Michael Lynch, both arrested, tell officials that his parents were simply just going to the restaurant for a monthly meeting nothing more. As officials continue to find evidence, more information continues to surface for what exactly happened that Sunday at Twin Peaks. As more information is revealed, there has been word that other biker gangs from multiple areas heading in Texas’ way.

“We have been getting reports throughout the day that bikers from out of state are headed this way, we would encourage them not to because we have plenty of space in our county jail to put them there,” reports Swanton.

FSA Questions

1. In the article, what main idea does the author seem to offer?
2. Based on your answer from number two, provide two sentences that support your idea.
3. What is the connotation of the word “diffuse” in the article?
4. In the article, what is the definition of the word unravel?
5. Why have many of the bikers not been able to get a set court date?