Police in eastern Ontario say they are watching for possible retaliatory violencebetween two motorcycle clubs after a violent brawl erupted in one city and a clubhouse burned down in a suspected arson in another.
Provincial police, as well as officers in the eastern Ontario cities of Cornwall and Brockville, have warned the public not to engage with members of the Loners and Outlaws motorcycle clubs as they investigate.
Two people were stabbed, one person was shot and five people were arrested in Cornwall after a fight in a parking lot Saturday between approximately 30 suspected members of the two motorcycle groups, local police said.
"The one thing that is alarming is how brazen this was in daylight hours, and the fact that guns and weapons were used ... which is striking," Cornwall police Insp.Chad Maxwell said in an interview.
"We have heard ... there has been an increase in violence over the past few years, involving these groups. This is the first incident that I'm aware of taking place this summer."
Following the parking lot brawl, investigators say the Loners' clubhouse in Brockville, Ont., located an hour drive west of Cornwall, burned to the ground a day later. Police suspect arson.
Ontario Provincial Police, Cornwall police and Brockville police are investigating whether the two cases are connected.
When asked about the prospect of retaliation related to the recent violence, Maxwell said police were bracing for that possibility.
"I can say that is a concern," he said.
A spokesperson for the Outlaws said in an email the group has "no comment at the moment since the investigation still going on."
Maxwell, of Cornwall police, said the brawl that took place last weekend should be a reminder to the public not to engage with members of motorcycle gangs or wear gang-related paraphernalia.
He added that biker gangs have historically exploited Cornwall's unique geographical location, as it shares a border with Quebec and the United States, and criminal motorcycle groups have been involved in human trafficking, drug smuggling, and murders in rural areas.
One Ontario professor said history indicates that a spike in violence between motorcycle groups could signal a turf war is brewing in the area.
"This power struggle could be motivated by the eastward expansion of the Loners who were founded in Woodbridge in the York Region in 1979," said Antonio Nicaso, a professor at Queen's University who has written 30 books on mafia and mafia-type organizations.
"They are a powerful organization with international ramification (in the U.S. and Italy) so they should by no means be underestimated. They are looking for more space and more markets."
He said the Outlaws, who have American roots and were established before the Loners, have maintained a strong hold in Cornwall since their birth in the 1940s.
The clubs claim that 99 per cent of their members are law-abiding riders who claim to do a lot of charity work, Nicaso said. But, he said, one per cent are typically known to be outlaws.
He said people typically join the groups for brotherhood, comradery and financial gain.
Nicaso said motorcycle club members engaging in criminal activity typically operate outside large cities.
"There is a demand for drugs, gambling, prostitution or firearms everywhere, so instead of competing over turf in big cities they like to move in the rural areas or in the smaller cities where they face less competition," he said.
Nicaso said what shocked him most about the recent cases was that arson was suspected in the clubhouse fire.
Historically, "even if you touched their vest that will trigger the reaction, so imagine if you are burning down a clubhouse," he said. "I can't predict the future but I think that will trigger for sure more violence."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 13, 2023.
Fakiha Baig, The Canadian Press
