On weekends, he rode his Harley, with his teenage daughter Skyi on the back, long, blond hair flowing beneath her helmet. He still hung out with his ex-wife, Rocki Hughes, and he kept the high-school rings they’d exchanged at their wedding tucked away in a box, along with old Father’s Day cards. You couldn’t drag him away from his hometown, Ranger, Texas, a decrepit place that is nearly a century removed from its oil-field heyday. He worked at the same place for 19 years, pouring iron at a foundry. Rhyne loved his kids and sports and Miller Lite. He could come off gruff, and he didn’t watch his language. His given name was Jacob Lee Rhyne, though most people called him Jake. He was a “big ol’ bear” of a man, tall and strong and slightly rotund, with a long, ginger beard hiding a strong-jawed, handsome face.
#COSSACKS AND BANDIDOS PATCH#
When the Cossack member refused to remove the Texas patch from his vest, the Bandidos hit him in the head with a hammer and stole the vest.Rattle Can was a real person. That same day, a group of Bandidos confronted a Cossack member fueling up at a truck stop in Palo Pinto County, west of Fort Worth, the bulletin said. The bulletin also outlined several recent incidents between the two groups, including about 10 Cossacks forcing a Bandido to pull over along Interstate 35 near Waco in March and attacking him with "chains, batons and metal pipes before stealing his motorcycle," WFAA reported.
#COSSACKS AND BANDIDOS TV#
Dallas TV station WFAA obtained the bulletin and reported that it said the conflict could stem from Cossacks refusing to pay Bandidos dues for operating in Texas and for wearing a Texas patch on their vests without the Bandidos' approval.ĭPS spokesman Tom Vinger declined to comment on the authenticity of the bulletin, citing agency policy. In a bulletin issued May 1, the Texas Joint Information Center run by the DPS warned of increasing violence between the Bandidos and Cossacks. The Texas assessment does not mention the Cossacks. Members are not covert, however, about making their presence known by wearing their colors and insignia, and riding in large groups. The Bandidos conduct their activities as covertly as possible to avoid publicity, according to the DPS assessment. The Bandidos, formed in the 1960s, are involved in trafficking cocaine, marijuana and methamphetamine, according to the U.S. Other groups in that tier included the Bloods, Crips and Aryan Brotherhood of Texas. In a 2014 gang-threat assessment, the Texas Department of Public Safety classified the Bandidos as a "Tier 2" threat, the second highest.
Agents from the FBI and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were assisting local and state authorities. Officials stopped and questioned motorcycle riders. Swanton said authorities had received threats against law enforcement "throughout the night" from biker groups and stood ready to confront any more violence. Authorities were having them towed from the scene, 95 miles south of Dallas. More than 100 motorcycles were in the parking lots around the restaurant Monday, along with an additional 50 to 75 vehicles that probably belong to gang members, Swanton said. Many men detained in the hours after the shooting were seen wearing leather vests that read Bandidos or Cossacks. "I am not about to give them the respect of mentioning their names," Swanton said. Howver, Swanton has repeatedly declined to identify which gangs were involved in a fight that began with punches then grew to include chains, knives and then guns. McLennan County Sheriff Parnell McNamara, whose office is involved in the investigation, said the nine dead were members of the Bandidos and Cossacks.
Police and the restaurant operators were aware of Sunday's meeting in advance, and 18 Waco officers in addition to state troopers were outside the restaurant when the fight began, Swanton said. The Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission on Monday issued a seven-day suspension of the restaurant's liquor license, but owners had the option of reopening to serve meals. Twin Peaks - a national chain that features waitresses in revealing uniforms - on Monday revoked the franchise rights to the restaurant, which opened in August.Ĭompany spokesman Rick Van Warner said in a statement that the management team chose to ignore warnings and advice from the company, and did not establish the "high security standards" that the company requires. The Waco police department says there have been multiple injuries and fatalities in a shooting at a restaurant.