The Vagos Motorcycle Club, also known as the Green Nation, is a
one percenter motorcycle club formed in 1963 in
San Bernardino, California
San Bernardino ( ) is a city in and the county seat of San Bernardino County, California, United States. Located in the Inland Empire region of Southern California, the city had a population of 222,101 in the 2020 census, making it the List of ...
.
The club's insignia is
Loki
Loki is a Æsir, god in Norse mythology. He is the son of Fárbauti (a jötunn) and Laufey (mythology), Laufey (a goddess), and the brother of Helblindi and Býleistr. Loki is married to the goddess Sigyn and they have two sons, Narfi (son of Lo ...
, the
Norse god of mischief, riding a motorcycle. Members typically wear green.
The Vagos have approximately 4,000 members among 200 chapters located in the states of Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Nevada, Oregon, Utah and Missouri, as well as chapters throughout Europe and ten chapters located in Mexico (Baja California, Jalisco and Mexico City).
Vagos in Ontario, Canada were reported to have patched over to
Outlaws Motorcycle Club
The Outlaws Motorcycle Club, Incorporation (business), incorporated as the American Outlaws Association or its acronym, A.O.A., is an international outlaw motorcycle club. Founded in McCook, Illinois in 1935, the Outlaws MC is the oldest outlaw ...
(American Outlaws Association) in 2015 before AOA disbanded in 2018. Two hundred members are in
Inland Empire
The Inland Empire (commonly abbreviated as the IE) is a metropolitan area and region inland of and adjacent to coastal Southern California, centering around the cities of San Bernardino and Riverside, and bordering Los Angeles County and Or ...
, where the club was started in the late 1960s.
In 2013, the Vagos expanded to Sweden.
Insignia
A member from the ''Berdoo'' chapter (slang for
San Bernardino) created a
patch while he was in prison featuring
Loki, the Norse god of mischief. ''Vago'' is Spanish for vagabond or wanderer. Their
denim jackets sport their top rockers with their club name integrated into the middle patch,
and bottom rockers with their chapter's region or state, such as "SO. CAL",
"California", or "Arizona".
The middle patch "depicts a muscle-bound caricature of the Norse god of mischief, Loki, set against a green field".
Loki is colored red on top of a bike with his hands holding up their club name.
Other patches the club wears are the number 22 (the 22nd letter of the alphabet, V, for Vagos), and a Loki head. An MF patch (meaning motorcycle family), is received by a member after a probationary period is over and the member is validated as a member of the Vagos family on the front.
Some members have been seen with a green swastika and an "SS" symbol on their jackets.
Official chapters
The Vagos have Chapters all throughout Southern California. They have Chapters in
Venice Beach, California to the High Desert of California,
Inland Empire
The Inland Empire (commonly abbreviated as the IE) is a metropolitan area and region inland of and adjacent to coastal Southern California, centering around the cities of San Bernardino and Riverside, and bordering Los Angeles County and Or ...
which includes both
Riverside County, California
Riverside County is a County (United States), county located in the Southern California, southern portion of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, its population was 2,418,185, making it the fourth-most ...
and
San Bernardino County, California
San Bernardino County ( ), officially the County of San Bernardino and sometimes abbreviated as S.B. County, is a County (United States), county located in the Southern California, southern portion of the U.S. state of California, and is locat ...
in the city of San Bernardino where they started, Azusa California San Gabriel Valley chapter, Hawthorne, Los Angeles and
San Diego
San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...
. They also have chapters in the states of Hawaii,
Oregon
Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...
,
Nevada
Nevada ( ; ) is a landlocked state in the Western United States. It borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the seventh-most extensive, th ...
, and
Utah
Utah is a landlocked state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is one of the Four Corners states, sharing a border with Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. It also borders Wyoming to the northea ...
, Arizona, Georgia, New York, Missouri, New Mexico, Idaho, Texas, Illinois also the country of Mexico, Mexicali BC Mother Chapter, Tijuana chapter, Tecate Centro, Rumorosa, Rosarito Beach, México City, Azcapotzalco. Canada, Also in Central America in Nicaragua, El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala. In South America there are Chapters in Brazil, Chile and Ecuador. Chapters in Europe are in Germany (3 Chapters, East, Central and South-West), Ireland, France, Belgium (2 Chapters) and Romania.
Vagos MC criminal allegations and incidents
The Vagos are considered by law enforcement to be among the many second-tier, after the "
Big Four", outlaw motorcycle gangs.
Hemet traps
On March 17, 2010, amid allegations that Vagos members had fabricated home-made booby traps to maim and kill police detectives in
Hemet, California
Hemet is a city in the San Jacinto Valley in Riverside County, California, United States. It covers a total area of , about half of the valley, which it shares with the neighboring city of San Jacinto, California, San Jacinto. The population w ...
, police arrested at least 30 Vagos members in a multi-state raid of
Utah
Utah is a landlocked state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is one of the Four Corners states, sharing a border with Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. It also borders Wyoming to the northea ...
,
Nevada
Nevada ( ; ) is a landlocked state in the Western United States. It borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the seventh-most extensive, th ...
,
Arizona
Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...
, and California, involving 400 police officers from 60 law enforcement agencies. The police raided 73 locations in Southern California, seizing weapons and drugs, and discovered a
meth lab
Clandestine chemistry is chemistry carried out in secret, and particularly in Illegal drug trade, illegal drug laboratories. Larger labs are usually run by gangs or organized crime intending to produce for distribution on the black market. Smalle ...
.
The raids were the result of several incidents involving booby traps where the club was implicated:
* On December 31, 2009, the unmarked headquarters of the Hemet Gang Task Force was filled with natural gas, which had been routed into the building through a hole drilled in the roof. Two task force members had detected the gas and backed away without triggering the explosion. The day before that attack, a Vagos funeral was held at a church next to the office.
* On February 23, 2010, a task force member opened a security gate outside the building, causing a homemade
zip gun attached to the gate to fire, nearly hitting his head.
* On March 5, a task force member who had parked an unmarked police car in front of a convenience store in Hemet found a homemade pipe bomb hidden underneath the vehicle.
California and federal authorities announced a $200,000 reward for information on these cases. California Attorney General
Jerry Brown
Edmund Gerald Brown Jr. (born April 7, 1938) is an American lawyer, author, and politician who served as the 34th and 39th governor of California from 1975 to 1983 and 2011 to 2019. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic P ...
called the attempts "urban terrorism." Riverside County
District Attorney
In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, county prosecutor, state attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or solicitor is the chief prosecutor or chief law enforcement officer represen ...
Rod Pacheco said that Vagos members posed an "extreme threat" to law enforcement officers and were notorious for trying to "infiltrate" public safety agencies, by obtaining sworn or non-sworn positions and working undercover to obstruct and dismantle police investigations.
In March 2011, the club sued Riverside County law enforcement for defamation and damages caused by implicating the group to the attacks on the Hemet police officers. On August 1, Riverside County settled the lawsuit, and cleared the club of any involvement with the attacks on the officers. Meanwhile, they had arrested two men that had no ties to the club. The club's attorney, Joseph Yanny, stated he was pleased with the result: "This was never about money. What was important was that the club clear its name and take this shadow off them."
Nugget Casino shooting
On September 23, 2011, Vagos members were involved in a shooting at
John Ascuaga's Nugget in
Sparks, Nevada
Sparks is a city in Washoe County, Nevada, United States. It was founded in 1904, incorporated on March 15, 1905, and is located just east of Reno, Nevada, Reno. The 2020 U.S. Census counted 108,445 residents in the city. It is the List of citi ...
, where Jeffrey Pettigrew, the president of the San Jose, California chapter of
Hells Angels
The Hells Angels Motorcycle Club (HAMC) is an international outlaw motorcycle club founded in California whose members typically ride Harley-Davidson motorcycles. In the United States and Canada, the Hells Angels are incorporated as the Hells ...
was killed, and Vagos members were wounded. The next day, a Vagos member was wounded at a rally by a drive-by shooter. On September 29, police arrested Ernesto Manuel Gonzales, a Vagos member, at the
University of California, San Francisco
The University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in San Francisco, California, United States. It is part of the University of California system and is dedic ...
, for killing Pettigrew.
On December 7, police announced that they had arrested Gary Rudnick, the vice-president of the Los Angeles chapter of Vagos, for instigating the fight that led to the shooting.
Rudnick later pleaded guilty to second degree murder in a bargaining agreement. The trial for the two Vagos members, as well as a Hells Angels member who fired at a crowd, was held on October 29, 2012.
Other incidents
In 1974, four Vagos members were convicted and sentenced to death for murdering
University of New Mexico
The University of New Mexico (UNM; ) is a public research university in Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States. Founded in 1889 by the New Mexico Territorial Legislature, it is the state's second oldest university, a flagship university in th ...
student William Velten. The four, Richard Greer, Ronald Keine, Clarence Smith and Thomas Gladish, spent 17 months on death row, but during the appeals process, Kerry Rodney Lee confessed to the murder.
In October 1998, police arrested more than a dozen Vagos members for kidnapping, drug and weapons crimes, following a two-year undercover investigation. In September 2004, state police arrested 26 members and seized more than $125,000 in cash, drugs and guns. On March 9, 2006, law enforcement conducted "Operation 22 Green", which involved 700 personnel from
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (BATFE), commonly referred to as ATF, is a domestic law enforcement agency within the United States Department of Justice. Its responsibilities include the investigation and prevention ...
and local police and sheriff's departments. The operation resulted in the arrest of 25 Vagos members and associates for violating firearms and drugs policies. It was "one of the largest coordinated law enforcement probes ever conducted in
Southern California
Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural List of regions of California, region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Its densely populated coastal reg ...
". The investigators seized 95 illegal firearms, illegal drugs, $6,000 cash, and two stolen motorcycles.
An ATF agent called the group a "ruthless criminal bike gang" that deals in "guns, drugs, and death."
Operation 22 Green and its lead-up were used as the basis for the first season of the television series ''
Gangland Undercover''.
In December 2007, police arrested six Vagos members for "charges of first-degree burglary, second-degree robbery, coercion and second-degree kidnapping" that occurred in August 2007. The victim had announced he was leaving the club, but suffered a beating at the Custom Motorcycle auto shop in
Grants Pass, Oregon
Grants Pass is a city in and the county seat of Josephine County, Oregon, United States. The city is located on Interstate 5 in Oregon, Interstate 5, northwest of Medford, Oregon, Medford, along the Rogue River (Oregon), Rogue River. The populatio ...
, and was then taken to his home where they attempted to rob him they failed.
Three Vagos members were arrested on June 9 and 10, 2009, and charged with sexually assaulting a woman in
San Jose, California
San Jose, officially the City of San José ( ; ), is a cultural, commercial, and political center within Silicon Valley and the San Francisco Bay Area. With a city population of 997,368 and a metropolitan area population of 1.95 million, it is ...
. Police investigators told the ''
San Jose Mercury News
''The Mercury News'' (formerly ''San Jose Mercury News'', often locally known as ''The Merc'') is a morning daily newspaper published in San Jose, California, in the San Francisco Bay Area. It is published by the Bay Area News Group, a subsidia ...
'' that the victim met the three men in a nightclub on May 4, 2009, and that they had offered to drive her home, but instead they took her to the Vagos clubhouse on Kings Row where she was beaten and sexually assaulted.
On August 13, 2011, law enforcement authorities reported that the Vagos Motorcycle Club and the
Galloping Goose Motorcycle Club were involved in a shootout which shut down traffic on
I-44 near
Waynesville, Missouri. The local 9-1-1 center received about 20 calls, which reported that approximately 20 men were fighting, and that shots had been fired.
[
Vagos set up Canadian chapter
]
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vagos Motorcycle Club
Outlaw motorcycle clubs
Gangs in the United States
Gangs in Arizona
Gangs in California
Gangs in Nevada
Gangs in Oregon
Hemet, California
Organizations based in Riverside County, California
1965 establishments in California
Motorcycle clubs in the United States