By Dennis Wagner, The Arizona Republic
Hells Angels chapter houses around the state were raided early Wednesday morning, part of a nationwide roundup.
At least seven people throughout the state were arrested, including the president of the group’s Tucson chapter and the former president of the Mesa chapter.
The raids were conducted on federal warrants for narcotics, firearms and in one case, possible homicide.
Information was developed through raids in July in which 30 people were arrested.
In Wednesday’s crackdown:
- In the 2800 block of North Cholla Street in Chandler, police arrested Robert J. “Mesa Bob” Johnston Jr., 47, the former president of the Mesa chapter, which, with 20 members, is the largest chapter in the state.
- In the 3300 block of North St. Elisas in Mesa, authorities arrested member Paul Eischeid.
- In the 2600 block of Yuma Drive in Chino Valley, authorities raided the Skull Valley chapter house and arrested Theodore Toff, 56, and Robert T. Rienstra, 42..
- In Tucson, poice raided a business in the 0-100 block of South Sixth Avenue and arrested Robert McKay, 48, the Tucson chapter president.
- In Bullhead City, police raided a house in the 900 block of Swan Drive and arrested Donald Craig Smith, 53.
- In Kingman, police raided a house in the 10700 block of East Old Highway and arrested George Edward Walters, 57.
In at least one case - in the 100 block of South LeBaron in Mesa - no one was in the house when police entered.
The Mesa Police Department’s SWAT team raided the house at 7 a.m., using pepper gas and flash-bang grenades before entering around 7 a.m. They found no one in the house, and at about 8 a.m., investigators from the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and Explosives, Tempe Police Department, Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office and the state Department of Public Safety.
About 150 police officers and federal investigators around the state were involved in this morning’s raids.