Federal officials said that two individuals, reportedly members of the Mongols motorcycle organization, had been arrested in connection with a deadly bar brawl earlier this year in San Bernardino County.
According to a news statement from the United States Department of Justice, the violence occurred early on March 4 at an Ontario tavern.
Prosecutors said Mongols members Clifford “Buckshot” Lavoy, 51, of Montclair, and Julian “Juls” Pulido, 31, of Upland, severely attacked a member of Vagos, a rival biker gang, named only as “V.S.” in court records.
V.S. was apparently inside the pub wearing Vagos club regalia when he was approached by Pulido and Lavoy, who claimed demanded that the victim respect them as Mongol members.
The ensuing disagreement erupted when Mongols members overpowered V.S., abusing him by punching him in the face, kicking him in the face, head, and neck, and choking rival gang members, according to prosecutors.
“When the victim tried to run out of the bar, Pulido allegedly pulled out a gun and shot the victim several times in the back, causing the victim to fall through the door of the bar and bleed out on the sidewalk,” according to the news release. “The defendants then fled the scene.”
V. S. was pronounced dead at 2:45 a.m.
Pulido was soon apprehended by law authorities, who pursued him for nine hours through five California counties.
“He was arrested after crashing a black Dodge vehicle into a ditch during a high-speed chase along Highway 46 near Lost Hills in Kern County,” the prosecutor stated. “At the time of his arrest, Pulido possessed the same Mongols-branded clothing he had worn on the night of V.S.’s murder.”
More than a month later, on April 15, Lavoy was arrested in Whittier, booked, and eventually released, according to the release.
He is accused with assault resulting in serious bodily injury in aid of racketeering, while Pulido is charged with murder in help of racketeering.
The Mongols, an outlaw motorcycle gang, were reputedly founded in California in the 1960s and incorporated in Montebello. According to reports, Vagos was founded in San Bernardino in the early 1960s.
If convicted as charged, Pulido faces a required minimum sentence of life in federal prison, while Lavoy could face a maximum sentence of 20 years.
