EAST VILLAGE — Police raided the Hells Angels clubhouse Tuesday after a weekend shooting in front the East Third Street building that touched off when a passing driver moved an orange cone that was obstructing traffic.
But officers ended up only hitting the outlaw biker gang with a summons for blocking the street and confiscating planters, a ramp and a bench from in front of their 77 E. Third St. building.
Officers issued an Environmental Control Board summons pertaining to the section of the city administrative code that deals with the obstruction of pedestrian or vehicular traffic just after noon, according to a police source.
NYPD raiding the Hells Angels clubhouse. Looks like they're taking some bikes away and chainsawing into the basement @evgrieve @mattlehrer pic.twitter.com/31L43u14cY
— Idan Cohen (@idancohen) December 13, 2016
A source familiar with the activity confirmed that the raid had been part of an ongoing investigation into a violent incident outside the clubhouse on Sunday, in which a 25-year-old man was shot in the stomach after moving a traffic cone outside the clubhouse.
The victim had hopped out of his car to move the cone in order to drive past, when a biker emerged from the clubhouse and told him to leave it alone, sparking an argument that turned violent when the biker punched the drive in the face, according to police.
Others then spilled out of the clubhouse to join the fight, and during the tussle a man pulled a gun and shot the victim in the abdomen.
No one answered the clubhouse door and the gang could not be immediately reached for comment.
Police were unable to say whether the shooter was a Hells Angels member.
