Alleged Hells Angels gang members arrested after assault, robbery in Hamilton

The Hells Angels MC Hamilton, Ont. clubhouse is seen in this undated image. (OPP)

Ontario police say they have arrested four members of the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club (MC) and seized a number of firearms after an alleged assault and robbery in Hamilton in July.

In a news release issued Friday morning, Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) said officers within the OPP-led biker enforcement unit (BEU) launched an investigation followinthe July 4 incident, which occurred at an unidentified establishment in the city.

It’s alleged that on that date, four Hells Angels members and one member of the Red Devils MC assaulted the victim and robbed them of their personal items. The circumstances leading up to the alleged assault and robbery were not disclosed by police. It’s unclear what injuries the victim sustained.

Police said that on Aug. 21, the BEU, in collaboration with Hamilton police officers executed search warrants at the residences of the accused, as well as the Hells Angels and Red Devils clubhouses in Hamilton.

Officers seized four shotguns, three rifles, a shotgun barrel, ammunition, body armour, and a possession and acquisition firearms licence following the execution of those search warrants, police said.

Three suspects, Joe Rollin, 41, of Grimsby, Trevor Pittman, 34, of Ancaster, and Daniel Fish, 36, of Brantford, were charged with assault causing bodily harm and robbery in connection with the incident.

William Ashford-Smith, 36, of Hamilton, and Jason Hall, 51, of York, are charged with the same offences. Ashford-Smith is also facing a charge of breach of probation and unauthorized use of a prohibited device. Hall is additionally charged with breaching firearms storage regulations.

Police did not say which suspect belonged to which motorcycle club.

All five suspects were released on an undertaking and will appear in a Hamilton courtroom on Monday.

“The items seized and charges laid in this investigation illustrate the importance of remaining diligent in our pursuit to disrupt and dismantle these criminal organizations,” OPP Det. Insp. Scott Wade, of the BEU, said in a statement.

The Hells Angels have been classified by the OPP as an Outlaw Motorcycle Gang (OMG). Described as a criminal organization, their activities include, but are not limited to fraud, drug trafficking, extortion, intimidation, and murder, police said.