Denver cops settle with Hell's Angels
John C. Ensslin
Published January 25, 2008 at 12:30 a.m.
Denver police have issued an apology to the Hell's Angels and paid an out-of-court settlement to the group for the second time in less than five years.
Denver and the Mountain View Police Department paid a total of $14,000 to the Hell's Angels over the handling of a Sept. 2, 2005, incident in which a Mountain View officer pulled over a motorcyclist for speeding, according to their attorney, David Lane.
Lane said about 80 Denver officers responded when the Mountain View officer radioed for help. Eventually, two of the motorcyclists were arrested on charges of possession of a concealed weapon.
In a Jan. 8 letter, Denver Manager of Safety Al LaCabe wrote, "We are certain that you understand how in a tense situation, officer safety is one of our primary concerns and at no time did any officer of the city and county of Denver ever intend to violate your civil rights."
In 2003, the Denver City Council paid $50,000 to settle a lawsuit stemming from a 2001 raid on a Hell's Angel clubhouse.
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January 25, 2008
6:30 a.m.
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stevea writes:
Nice job of reporting, fellers. A policeman pulls over a motorcyclist. Two of the motorcyclists were arrested. What?
How many motorcyclists were involved? How did the police violate their civil rights?
Why even post a story like this when you don't give basic information?
David Lane again? Good grief! Maybe one of the motorcyclists was a defrocked collitch perfesser. :-)
January 25, 2008
9:46 a.m.
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CWW writes:
Obviously, the RMN thinks this is a non-story, since they don't give any of the facts.
January 25, 2008
2:10 p.m.
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rutledjw writes:
Hells Angels are dangerous thugs. They are a serious problem and I don't blame the cop calling for help, especially if he was outnumbered and being threatened.
I'd say the settlement is a cowardly act. There have been some problems with DPD, but throwing our police under the proverbial bus every time there is an issue is not the way to go...
January 25, 2008
4:29 p.m.
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MARLOWE writes:
This all goes back to a false police report filed in Sheridan by a Denver police officer who then lied to the DPD about the incident. So, DPD, with the help of Mountain View PD, made what turned out to be an illegal stop. Machine guns in their faces, threats made and forced to lie down in the dirt. Should have been $140,000.00 Most cops are OK but you better not be on the
"list" that you civilians will never see. And the HA can and will defend themselves - in or out of court. More to come.
And the newspapers don't tell you that the speeding ticket & gun charge was dropped against the one individual. One pled to posession of a concealed weapon. Keep it up Denver-at this rate the new Clubhouse will be in Cherry Hills.