The Hells Angels member who was shot and wounded by an off-duty Seattle police detective at the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in South Dakota was taken out of intensive care Tuesday as he recovers from two gunshot wounds, one to the stomach and the second to the leg, his younger brother said.
The 33-year-old man was shot Saturday during a confrontation with the officer at the Loud American Roadhouse, a packed bar in Sturgis. One bullet tore open his bowels, and the other shattered his femur, said his brother, a restaurant manager in the San Diego area. He asked that his name not be used.
The officer, a 43-year-old detective, and four other Seattle officers were vacationing at the rally. The officer has said he was jumped and beaten and feared for his life, so he fired in self-defense. The detective belongs to the Iron Pigs motorcycle club, which is geared toward police officers and firefighters.
A Meade County, S.D., grand jury is examining the evidence for possible charges.
The San Diego-area biker's brother said he hasn't tried to pry too much into the details, given his brother's health.
"We want him to focus on healing up and getting healthy," he said, adding that they hope to have him home in a week.
The biker was shot on his first trip to the weeklong rally in South Dakota. He rode out with friends and first visited his sister in Missoula, Mont., staying for a few days there before heading to Sturgis, his brother said.
"He'd been looking forward to it for quite a while. He's been working and saving money to go for months," he said.
Security camera video of the incident was taken into evidence to be presented to the grand jury, Meade County State's Attorney Jesse Sondreal said. Seattle police guild officials have said the video would show that the shooting was justified.
The biker is a roofer and has belonged to the Hells Angels for about 10 years. His brother said he doesn't know much about the events before the shooting, though his brother is usually mellow and not the type "to get in someone's face."
He said he spoke with his brother's friends who were at Sturgis. They told him that his brother had gotten separated from his group in the bar. He said his brother's friends didn't immediately know he had been shot.
His brother has no history of violent crimes, he said. His San Diego court records confirm that, though they show he was due for a hearing Aug. 20 on pending marijuana charges from a police raid in January 2007.
The Hells Angels member was arrested as part of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the San Diego Police Department. Police served warrants on two San Diego-area homes that belonged to the president of the Hells Angels local chapter, according to the District Attorney's Office.
He and the chapter treasurer were arrested at one of the homes in Pacific Beach afterward. Police seized a pound and a half of marijuana, in addition to hydrocodone and oxycodone pills and $5,000 in cash.
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