In a joint operation conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Kern County Sheriff’s Office, and the California Highway Patrol, federal agents arrested six members of the Hells Angels motorcycle club in a raid that took place in Kern County on Tuesday morning. The arrests, which include the president and vice president of the Bakersfield chapter, were made on suspicion of various charges, including kidnapping, first-degree robbery, making criminal threats, false imprisonment, assault with a firearm, participating in a criminal street gang, criminal conspiracy, intimidating a witness or victim, and elder abuse.
The six individuals arrested, all residents of Bakersfield, have been identified as Ricardo Alvarez, Armando Villasenor, Joseph Soto Sr., Joseph Soto Jr., Joshua Zavala, and John Seeger. Additionally, a seventh suspect, Joshua Vaughn, was already in custody on unrelated charges. Alvarez, Villasenor, Soto Sr., Zavala, and Soto Jr. are active members of the Bakersfield chapter of the Hells Angels, while Vaughn and Seeger are affiliated with the Sons of Hell Motorcycle Club, which operates under the Hells Angels’ authority.
During the operation, authorities seized approximately 25 guns, ammunition, high-capacity magazines, and paraphernalia associated with the motorcycle gang. The arrests and seizures are part of an ongoing investigation, and the case has been referred to the Kern County district attorney’s office.
This recent development follows the sentencing of three Hells Angels members to life in prison earlier this month. Jonathan Nelson, Brian Wayne Wendt, and Russell Taylor Ott were convicted for their involvement in the murder of Hells Angels member Joel Silva in July 2014. Nelson and Ott were members of the Sonoma County chapter, while Wendt served as the president of the Fresno chapter.
In a separate incident, authorities in Stanislaus County arrested four individuals in February as part of an investigation into outlaw motorcycle clubs in the region. The probe was initiated following acts of violence stemming from a dispute between rival Hells Angels, Salida Nomads, and Mongol members.
