Bikers don't expect repeat of deadly brawl at event

LAUGHLIN, Nev. (AP) — Middle-aged motorcyclists rumbled into this Colorado River gambling town, most not expecting a repeat of the deadly biker gang violence that marred the annual Laughlin River Run a year ago.

"I think that was a fluke thing," said Jim Earls, a portrait photographer from Tucson, Ariz., who idled on his Harley-Davidson in traffic on U.S. 95, the two-lane highway that leads into Laughlin.

"Violence isn't what this event is all about," said Earls, who doesn't belong to a motorcycle club. "The average age is about my age, 46. I've been here five years, and I've never even seen a fight."

Earls said he and some friends checked out of Harrah's Laughlin hotel last year about an hour before Hell's Angels and Mongols motorcycle gang members brawled inside the casino using guns, knives, clubs and wrenches.

Two Hell's Angels and one Mongols member died, and at least 12 people were injured. Another Hell's Angels member was later shot to death on a highway in California that leads to Laughlin.

This year, Las Vegas police, who cover Laughlin 100 miles to the south, have assigned 500 uniformed and undercover officers to the event, up from 145 last year.