Six members of the Hells Angels, including the president and vice-president of the Bakersfield chapter, were arrested on multiple felony charges in a major operation by law enforcement. Firearms, ammunition, and high-capacity magazines were seized. (Kern County Sheriff's Office/Facebook)
Share
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Six members of the Hells Angels, including the president and vice-president of the Bakersfield chapter, were arrested on Tuesday on various violent charges in a major crackdown.
Ricardo Alvarez, 42, Armando Villasenor, 55, Joseph Soto Sr., 57, Joseph Soto Jr., 33, Joshua Zavala, 31, and John Seeger, 57, all of Bakersfield, were taken into custody early Tuesday, according to the Kern County Sheriff’s Office.
Additionally, Joshua Vaughn, 37, of Bakersfield, was already in custody on separate charges. Authorities executed eight search warrants across various locations in Bakersfield.
Related Story: Mom Arrested for Leaving Toddler in Hot Car in Clovis
During the operation, more than 150 law enforcement personnel from the sheriff’s office, CHP, and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives seized about 25 firearms, ammunition, multiple high-capacity magazines, and gang-related paraphernalia.
Alvarez, Villasenor, Soto Sr., Soto Jr., and Zavala are confirmed members of the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club’s Bakersfield chapter. Vaughn and Seeger are affiliated with the Sons of Hell Motorcycle Club, a subordinate group that operates under the Hells Angels’ direction.
The suspects face charges including kidnapping, first-degree robbery, criminal threats, false imprisonment, assault with a firearm, participation in a criminal street gang, criminal conspiracy, witness intimidation, and elder abuse. They were booked into the Kern County Sheriff’s Office Lerdo Facility.