History
The original club was formed by William George "Jock" Ross, a Scottish immigrant, in Sydney, New South Wales in 1968. He chose the name after seeing the John Wayne film The Comancheros. In late 1982, a second Comanchero chapter was formed by Anthony Mark "Snoddy" Spencer, who had broken away from the first chapter after challenging Ross' authority. When visiting the United States with Charles Paul "Charlie" Scibberas, another member of the second chapter, Spencer met with members of the Texan motorcycle club, the Bandidos and the two gangs became allies. The Bandidos eventually patched-over the second Comanchero chapter to become the Bandidos' first Australian chapter.
The Comancheros and Bandidos were now rivals and in 1984, the two clubs were involved in the Milperra massacre, a shoot-out which left seven people dead, including four Comancheros, two Bandidos, and a 14-year-old bystander. Jock Ross received a lifetime jail sentence for his involvement in the Milperra massacre but only served five years and three months before he was released.
The Comancheros and Hells Angels were also believed to be involved in a clash at Sydney Airport on Sunday, 22 March 2009. The clash resulted in one man being beaten to death and police estimated as many as 15 men were involved in the violence. Police documents detail the brawl as a result of a Comanchero gang member and a Hells Angels biker being on the same flight from Melbourne. Six Comancheros were arrested as a result of the altercation and have been convicted of "riot and affray", while Comanchero president Mick Hawi was also found guilty of murder on 2 November 2011. As a result of heightening violence, New South Wales Premier Nathan Rees announced the state police anti-gang squad would be boosted to 125 members from 50.
It was announced in late 2009 that a new national president was elected named Duax Ngakuru.
Read more about this topic: Comanchero Motorcycle Club
Famous quotes containing the word history:
“The history of every country begins in the heart of a man or a woman.”
—Willa Cather (1876–1947)
“Bias, point of view, fury—are they ... so dangerous and must they be ironed out of history, the hills flattened and the contours leveled? The professors talk ... about passion and point of view in history as a Calvinist talks about sin in the bedroom.”
—Catherine Drinker Bowen (1897–1973)
“The history of all countries shows that the working class exclusively by its own effort is able to develop only trade-union consciousness.”
—Vladimir Ilyich Lenin (1870–1924)