San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan on Monday announced that 17 people have recently been indicted by the San Diego County Grand Jury for their alleged role in a summertime attack on three men, culminating with an attempted murder suspect being driven back to an El Cajon clubhouse.
The June 6 nighttime beating and stabbing occurred on Newport Avenue in Ocean Beach, when three Black men, ranging in ages from 19-21, were chased by members of Hells Angels motorcycle gang members and their supporters “possibly because one of the men spoke to a biker’s girlfriend,” according to authorities.
The young men were repeatedly called racial slurs and told they didn’t belong in the beach side neighborhood.
One of the men managed to escape and elude injury but his two friends were brutally attacked, with one young man getting punched and kicked over his entire body.
According to the DA’s office “the beating only stopped after he was sucker punched in the head and knocked unconscious. The third man was also beaten by multiple bikers and left helpless, curled up on the ground. Longtime Hells Angels leader, Troy Scholder, pulled out a knife, rolled the victim onto his side, and stabbed him in the chest, cracking the young man’s sternum. After trying to kill the victim, Mr. Scholder casually folded up his knife and walked away.”
The stabbing victim survived his injuries.
“In San Diego County, we cannot, and will not tolerate violence and racism of any nature, much less crimes like this hateful, vicious, and unprovoked attack,” said Stephan. “It is a testament to the cooperation and coordination of our law enforcement partners, working closely with our Gangs Division, that these defendants were identified and are being brought to face justice.”
The grand jury indicted 14 defendants with gang allegations and a variety of charges including assault, hate crimes and attempted murder. They included charges against three more individuals because they transported Scholder away from the scene and back to the Hells Angels Clubhouse in El Cajon.
The investigation and arrests were a result of a collaboration among the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department, El Cajon Police Department, Escondido Police Department, Chula Vista Police Department, La Mesa Police Department, Oceanside Police Department, National City Police Department and the Narcotics Task Force, and assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
“These disgusting hate-driven attacks have no place in our community. There is no stronger way to condemn this violence than to hold the perpetrators accountable to the fullest force of the law,” said San Diego Police Chief David Nisleit. “We committed every necessary resource to track down and arrest each person who was involved in these wanton acts of violence. I want to thank our detectives who solved this case, our partner law enforcement agencies for their help, and the District Attorney’s Office for their tireless work.”
The suspects, arrested Sept. 21, pleaded not guilty Monday. Trial is set for Nov. 14.
