Officers Raid Motorcycle Gang Hangout

Police seized drugs, two sawed-off shotguns and suspected stolen vehicles in a raid on a clubhouse of the Vagos motorcycle gang, authorities said Friday.

But when no arrests were made, several neighbors said they were shocked and disappointed.

“They are nightmares--there’s a lot of traffic,” said one woman, describing the motorcycle club.

Behind the small house and cluttered garage in the 18900 block of Arminta Street were two mobile homes and a large yard where gang members reportedly partied through the night.

“They never sleep--their motorcycles sound like thunder,” said one neighbor. “At least if they take all those motorcycles away we’ll have a little peace. Now, I have to get up at 2 a.m. and take Excedrin.”

Investigators said the outlaw bikers used the half-acre fenced-in property on a shady residential street as a distribution center for methamphetamine and a place where stolen cars and motorcycles were stripped for parts. The raid was part of a larger investigation of the motorcycle gang, which has chapters throughout Southern California, authorities said.

As one of Southern California’s oldest motorcycle gangs, the Vagos--Spanish for “vagabond”--have been known to deal and distribute methamphetamine. In the past, members of the Vagos have also been charged with selling illegal firearms and stolen vehicles.

Gang members, said to number 200, collected $2 million from the city of Hawthorne in 1990 after claiming police there staged illegal searches of the gang’s property.

The raid at 6 a.m. was orchestrated by federal agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms. San Fernando police and the LAPD Special Weapons Team participated.

ATF Assistant Special Agent John Torres said gang members were suspected of having broken federal firearms and narcotics laws.

Authorities also seized two handguns, four rifles and a small amount of methamphetamine and marijuana.

Police would not identify suspects in the raid.

“We’re still investigating and gathering evidence,” said Torres.

They also towed away several antique cars and Harley-Davidson motorcycles.

Friday’s raid was part of a three-month investigation sparked by information from arrests of other Vagos members made 18 months ago in San Fernando, said Lt. Robert Ordelheide of that city’s Police Department.

Last year Riverside police arrested more than 30 of the outlaw bikers in four different counties on suspicion of bilking insurance companies out of millions of dollars by claiming the thefts of exotic motorcycles.

Eric Rose, spokesman for Councilwoman Laura Chick, said several residents who live near the clubhouse have complained to the council office since they moved in about a year ago.

“Our office has received information from numerous constituents from this particular area and we have always given that information to the police,” Rose said. “I’m pleased to see that the residents’ tips turned into action.”