Gowanus Motorcycle Club Bust: 2 Charged By DA, 3 Let Go

GOWANUS, BROOKLYN — The Brooklyn District Attorney's Office has brought charges against two of the individuals arrested in the Feb. 18 NYPD raid of the "God's Only Demons" motorcycle club in Gowanus. But a law enforcement source said Tuesday that the DA declined to bring charges against three other men "due to insufficient evidence."

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According to the NYPD, a total of 24 people were arrested at the club following the raid, which also yielded guns, ammunition and drugs. Of those, 19 were re-arrested on open warrants, police said. Of the other five, the DA's office said it brought charges against Anthony Rosario and Victor Vazquez.

According to a DA spokeswoman, Vazquez was arraigned Saturday, and had his bail set at $20,000, while Rosario, also arraigned Saturday, had bail set at $25,000.

The DA's office charged Vazquez with multiple counts of illegal weapons possession, while Rosario was hit with a group of charges related to the possession of drugs and drug paraphernalia.

Early this month, the NYPD filed a complaint against the biker club with the goal of shutting it down, DNAinfo reported. That followed a 2014 attempt by the city to shutter the establishment, according to The New York Post.

But God's Only Demons also has its defenders, with one neighbor telling DNAinfo that the real issue is new neighborhood arrivals who aren't comfortable with the long-standing establishment.

Top image via Google Maps