An entire chapter of the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club based in Bakersfield, Calif., was arrested in connection with an ongoing investigation into kidnapping, robbery and assault.
The Kern County Sheriff's Office said Tuesday, June 25, that five "active, patched members" of the Bakersfield Hells Angels chapter were arrested: Ricardo Alvarez, 42, Armando Villasenor, 55, Joseph Soto Sr., 57, Joseph Soto Jr., 33, and Joshua Zavala, 31.
Two members of the Sons of Hell Motorcycle Club, a "sub-affiliate" that takes orders from the Hells Angels, were also arrested: John Seeger, 57, and Joshua Vaughn, 37. Vaughn was already in police custody on separate charges, the sheriff's office said.
The arrests followed an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Kern County Sheriff’s Office and California Highway Patrol.
The sheriff's office said all the suspects are charged with kidnapping, first-degree robbery, criminal threats, false imprisonment, assault with a firearm, participation in a criminal street gang, criminal conspiracy, intimidating a witness or victim and elder abuse. They were booked into the Kern County Sheriff’s Office Lerdo Facility.
Eight search warrants were executed in connection with the arrests, across multiple Bakersfield locations, involving more than 150 law enforcement personnel. Authorities seized "approximately 25 firearms, ammunition, multiple high-capacity magazines, and gang affiliate paraphernalia."
The circumstances of the alleged crimes that led to the arrests were not revealed, as the investigation is ongoing.
Federal authorities alleged the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club, which was founded in California following World War II, engages in the trafficking of drugs and firearms.
—TMX contributed to this report.
