The last of nine motorcycle gang members arrested in connection with a 2020 shootout pleaded guilty last week, marking the end of a 4-year investigation.
In July 2020, members of the Mongols and Hells Angels “outlaw motorcycle gangs” started a blocks-long shootout that killed one person and injured three others, according to a Thursday news release from the Arvada Police Department.
William Kelly Henderson, a ranking Hells Angel member and Arvada resident, was shot and killed at the scene, police said. Three others were injured, including an Arvada resident who came out to help those injured in the shootout and was beaten.
“This was a case of pure evil, and our community will not tolerate it,” Arvada Police Chief Ed Brady stated in Thursday’s news release. “I am incredibly proud of our entire department’s efforts and perseverance to seek justice, and the assistance from several professional law enforcement agencies.”
Working with both local and federal partners, Arvada officers executed search warrants at Colorado gang member’s residences and the Mongols Club Houses in Arvada, Florida, California and Utah, Thursday’s release stated.
“We might not have been able to prove who fired the fatal bullet, but in going after the Mongols as a criminal enterprise, we were able to hold nine criminals accountable for engaging in a senseless murder and group violence that put the community at risk,” said CBI Director Chris Schaefer.
Nine defendants were arrested across four states in January 2021 and extradited back to Jefferson County to face a variety of felony charges — from first degree murder to violations of the Colorado Organized Crime Control Act, Arvada police said Thursday.
Gregory Moore pleaded guilty to violating the Colorado Organized Crime Control Act on April 5.
Each of the nine defendants was convicted of a felony crime, which caused “significant disruption” to the Mongols’ organization, according to Thursday’s news release. The group has since relocated their Arvada clubhouse to Denver.
“This incident highlights the extreme level of violence and reckless disregard for human life that members of outlaw motorcycle gangs … pose to our communities,” said Brent Beavers, a special agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
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The defendants who pleaded guilty include:
Gregory Lawrence Moore, 32, pleaded guilty to violating the Colorado Organized Crime Control Act and was sentenced to 27 years in the Department of Corrections.
Leon Matthew Dennis pleaded guilty to violating the Colorado Organized Crime Control Act and was sentenced to 24 years in the Department of Corrections.
Jared Chadwick, 39, pleaded guilty to tampering with physical evidence and was charged federally for being a felon in possession of a firearm. He was sentenced in Utah Federal Court to 28 months in federal prison.
Saint George Michael Gonzales, 32, pleaded guilty to tampering with physical evidence and was sentenced to two years of probation.
Kenneth Wayne Tischler, 41, pleaded guilty to tampering with physical evidence and was sentenced to two years of probation.
Vincent James Dominguez, 34, pleaded guilty to second-degree assault and was sentenced to five years in the Department of Corrections.
Phillip Raymond Garcia, 34, pleaded guilty to tampering with physical evidence and was sentenced to 3-and-a-half years of probation.
Daniel Ruben Goint, 31, pleaded guilty to second-degree assault causing serious bodily injury and crime of violence. He was sentenced to eight years in the Department of Corrections.
Rafael Vargas Lozano, 41, pleaded guilty to tampering with physical evidence and was sentenced to three years of probation.
Chadwick Gene Swopes, 42, was initially named as a suspect in the incident, but was not charged.
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