Waco shooting: Which gangs are involved in the deadly Texas shootout?

Police said 192 people had been charged over gunfight

A gang shootout left nine dead and 18 others rushed to the hospital with gunshot and stab wounds at a restaurant in Waco, Texas on Sunday.

Three rival gangs — the Bandidos, Cossacks and Scimitars — incited the incident which resulted in 192 people arrested and as many as five biker gangs were involved and as many as 50 weapons might be recovered.

In the states, there are more than 300 outlaw motorcycle gangs operating across the country, according to federal gang estimates.

Bandidos

The Bandidos’ tagline is, “Cut one, we all bleed.” A lot of blood considering the group’s status as the world’s second-largest motorcycle gang behind their infamous rivals the Hell’s Angels. According to the Department of Justice, the Bandidos have nearly 2,500 members in 13 countries.

Steve Cook, executive director of the Midwest Outlaw Motorcycle Gang Investigators Association told the Washington Post that Texas has been historically controlled by the Bandidos for years and that the local gang, the Cossacks would be crossed about recruitment meetings at the local Twin Peaks bar and restaurant.

Cossacks

“The Bandidos already knew that the Cossacks weren’t going to play ball, and when push came to shove and these guys weren’t cooperating, all hell broke loose,” he said. “You can tell by the number of weapons involved that these guys came looking for a fight. They were prepared."

Mr Cook also said that the Cossacks may have formed an alliance with the Hell’s Angel’s, the Bandidos most heated rivals.

Scimitars

Joining the alliance between the Angel’s and the Cossacks are the Scimitars. They are believed to have formed an alliance with the Cossacks and Hell’s Angels. People wearing the Scimitars’ jackets were photographed sitting among Cossacks members after the shootout took place.

"We knew the tensions with the Cossacks were as high as they'd ever been," Mr Cook said. "I don’t think anybody could have forecast it to the degree that it happened."