On the Road Again

They came, they saw, they partied and--to the relief of local police--most of them left.

Hells Angels from as far afield as Brazil checked out of their motels and bid adieu to Ventura on Wednesday, roaring back to the workaday world after a relatively placid observance of the notorious group’s 50th anniversary.

Even so, officers from as many as seven police agencies will maintain high-visibility patrols downtown until the last stragglers depart. About 100 members lingered at the group’s clubhouse off Ventura Avenue on Wednesday.

“People just don’t seem to want to go home,” said George Christie Jr., the Ventura chapter’s president. “As long as they’re here, we’ll roll out the red carpet.”

Some 400 to 500 members had converged on Ventura, flying in from overseas or riding their immaculate, ear-splitting bikes from spots all over the U. S. Their three-day stay climaxed Tuesday night at a private party at Nicholby’s, a downtown club.

The evening went off without a major incident. Officers made three or four arrests for public intoxication, but none of those arrested was associated with the Angels, Ventura Police Lt. Don Arth said.

As the night wore on, ordinarily empty downtown streets filled with people eager for a glimpse of the scene. Curious residents gawked from their cars. The club turned away throngs of teenagers. Dozens of police staked out nearby corners.

The Angels arrived fashionably late in their customary leathers. Deputies’ horses were dressed for after-six, with luminous wrappings on their legs and plastic shields over their eyes.

In the glare of emergency lights, a group of officers and Angels mingled, gesturing broadly as they discussed the NCAA basketball playoffs.

During their stay, the Angels had been under intensive scrutiny as they strolled downtown from the clubhouse, browsing for souvenirs and dropping into cafes.

Despite their well-documented criminal history, there was no violence. Police made several arrests for concealed weapons and issued citations for motor vehicle violations. One prospective member was questioned about an alleged sexual assault.

“Everybody was waiting for something to happen, but nothing did,” said Shandon Russell, a saleswoman at Bonnie’s costume shop on Main Street. “Maybe it was just Ventura--the whole mellow-little-beach-town thing.”

Ventura police said Wednesday that they could not yet estimate the cost of their extraordinary enforcement operation, which some residents and downtown business people have criticized as too aggressive.

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“It’s still functioning,” Arth said. “It’s premature to calculate the costs to the department.” He said the effort would be scaled back as the Angels leave.

However, two of the other agencies involved provided a rough idea of costs.

Tom Cady, an assistant police chief in Oxnard, said he expected his staff will have spent 550 to 600 hours patrolling downtown Ventura. That translates to expenses of $21,000 to $23,000, which Ventura will not reimburse.

“It’s a mutual aid arrangement,” Cady said. “Ventura has helped us with gang search warrants, probation orders and other things. We don’t send bills back and forth.”

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Port Hueneme police offered no dollar estimate but said the city’s officers will have put in 16 shifts in Ventura, with a dispatcher working an additional four.

Whatever the costs, the Angels’ visit pumped up ordinarily torpid Monday and Tuesday nights in Ventura’s hotels. Members rented 210 rooms at hotels and motels around town.

“It was definitely an economic benefit,” said Bill Clawson, executive director of the Ventura Visitors and Convention Bureau.

Clawson had just attended a local tourism meeting whose theme was getting visitors to stay just one more day. He said the theme he preferred for the Angels’ visit--probably the most heavily covered convention in Ventura’s history--was: “All’s well that ends well.”

Times staff writer Scott Hadly contributed to this story.