Investigation Into Biker Brawl Stalls

Investigations into a bloody melee between rival motorcycle gangs at a Costa Mesa swap meet have been stymied by tight-lipped participants, Orange County Sheriff’s Department officials said Saturday.

Detectives were trying to determine the amount of property damage and the number of injuries resulting from the brawl, which erupted at an Orange County Fairgrounds exhibition building about 8 p.m. Friday.

“The problem is: We’ve got no willing victims,” Sheriff’s Lt. Larry Abbott said. “It’s a real tough group to talk to. They don’t like cops.”

The fight, according to the Sheriff’s Department, involved members of the Vagos and Hells Angels motorcycle clubs. Abbott said members of a third club, the Mongols, were also attending the swap meet, which was devoted to motorcycle parts. Abbott said it was unclear whether members of that third group entered the fray.

According to witnesses, the incident started between a small group of Vagos and Hells Angels and quickly spread as combatants grabbed handlebars, gas tanks and other merchandise from vendors’ tables to bludgeon each other. The fight lasted about five minutes before the combatants began to flee. Authorities said 60 to 70 people were involved.

Only one man has been arrested so far--a swap-meet vendor who allegedly pushed a police officer. Police also recovered a .38-caliber revolver from the scene Friday night, although witnesses reported no shots being fired.

Investigators spent much of Friday evening and Saturday morning following up on a lead that at least one seriously injured man may have died. Police were unable to find such a man.

Abbott said Long Beach police reported that two bikers had entered a hospital emergency room, saying they had been involved in a fight. However, the men, who suffered unspecified injuries, said the fight didn’t occur in Costa Mesa.

The motorcycle swap meet was sponsored by Intershows Motorsports Promotions Inc. Neither officials from Intershows nor the Orange County Fair would comment on the event Saturday.

Dozens of officers from the Costa Mesa, Irvine, Huntington Beach and Newport Beach police departments responded, along with the Sheriff’s Department.

Vendors, who were forced to clear the building when police responded Friday, were furious. Many left car keys, cell phones, medicine and wallets. Thousands of dollars in merchandise was left on the tables. Many people were left without a place to stay for the night, unable to pay for a motel room. Vendors weren’t able to retrieve their belongings until 3 p.m. Saturday.

Andy Aponte of Mission Viejo said he left his cell phone and car keys inside. A friend, Dan Dohan of Lake Elsinore, drove him home Friday night. Dohan said he was forced to abandon the nitroglycerin tablets he takes for heart trouble.