'Armed and Dangerous' Hells Angels Biker Arrested for Funeral Shooting
A Hells Angels biker gang member, Steve Ruiz, was arrested Saturday in connection with the murder of another Hells Angel, Steve Tausan, on Oct. 15.
"We're relieved to have him off the streets," Sgt. Jason Dwyer told reporters during a Sunday news conference at the police station. "This was a difficult case for investigators to solve."
Hells Angels, known fully as the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club, is infamous for a myriad of criminal activities like violence, extortion, and drug trafficking. Ruiz was a prime example of this when he fought Tausan at Oak Hill Cemetery in San Jose, Calif. Ruiz allegedly fired into Tausan, killing him during a funeral for slain Hells Angel and late president of the HAMC in San Jose, Jeffery "Jethro" Pettigrew.
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Ruiz disappeared that October, and despite authorities diligently searching for the suspect, they could not find him. However, Saturday, somehow police located Ruiz at the Days Inn Motel in Freemont, Calif. Instead of charging the "armed and dangerous" gang member's room, however, they decided on a more peaceful method to catch the suspect.
"They used the phone at the front desk, called and asked him to surrender peacefully, and he did surrender," the front desk clerk, Rey Bayangos, told MSNBC. "It happened all of a sudden."
Police took the 38-year-old biker into custody at the Santa Clara County jail following the arrest.
Although it is unknown exactly what charges Ruiz will face, they could be severe, as there is a large amount of evidence stacked against him.
After the shooting, someone attempted to alter the scene of the crime by washing away the bloodstains and removing key evidence. The tampering could have contributed to authorities' extended search for Ruiz.
In addition, Ruiz left his motorcycle at the cemetery, which was watched over by police to prevent violence. The biker was able to escape amongst the 4,000 mourners, but authorities took his bike into custody. It remains unclaimed.
After that, police claimed they had "credible evidence" that Ruiz was somewhere in San Jose and had been spotted, according to MSNBC.
It is currently unknown if bail will be posted for the suspect or when his court date will be assigned.
