There was a loud rumbling sound, and people in Maple Ridge came out of stores along the Lougheed Highway on Friday afternoon, to watch as an estimated 150 to 200 bikers rolled through town.
Some were wearing Hells Angels colours, as the club is in the Lower Mainland in force this weekend, celebrating 40 years of the gang’s presence in B.C. at the Langley clubhouse. Hundreds of members and their affiliates are expected to attend from across Canada.
READ ALSO: Hundreds of Hells Angels bikers to descend on Langley, Maple Ridge starting Friday
Police told the public to expect a huge presence, and that was the case on Friday as they rolled through downtown Mission at approximately 2 p.m., and then Maple Ridge 20 minutes later. They had come from Hope, and were bound for Haney Hawgs, which is club-owned and an official supplier of Angels merchandise.
From Haney Hawgs they will disperse throughout the Lower Mainland, before meeting for their celebration at a rural property on 61st Avenue in Langley on Saturday and Sunday, according to police.
S/Sgt. Lindsey Houghton, a spokesperson for the B.C. Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit (CFSEU), said they will be working with Lower Mainland police detachments to deter illegal activity and ensure public safety “by way of an overt police presence.”
There are Hells Angels clubhouses in Maple Ridge, Mission, White Rock and other Lower Mainland communities.
READ ALSO: Police find $618K worth of drugs on Lower Mainland acreage
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