Police have charged 18 patched members of the Bandidos outlaw motorcycle gang following a dramatic incident on Perth's Kwinana Freeway on Friday evening. The group was first spotted congregating at a petrol station on Safety Bay Road around 5:25pm, prompting a significant police response including the Police Air Wing.
Officers observed the riders allegedly traveling recklessly in convoy north on the freeway. When police activated lights and sirens, the riders allegedly failed to stop and continued at excessive speed. Two riders reportedly blocked police vehicles while the rest rode on, but officers stopped traffic near Millar Road in Baldivis, forcing the group to halt and causing major congestion.
Eighteen men aged 26 to 56 were arrested and their motorcycles seized. All have been charged with reckless driving to escape police pursuit and failing to comply with a direction to stop. Two men, aged 41 and 44, face additional charges of obstructing public officers. They are due in court between January 28 and February 9.
Detective Senior Sergeant Todd White of the Gang Crime Squad said the Air Wing clocked some riders at 150 km/h. He described the arrests as the most significant bikie bust in Western Australia in recent memory, with senior gang members among those charged. White noted intelligence indicates internal conflict within the Bandidos, and said the arrests will further destabilize the gang's activities in the state.
