By paNOW

PHOTOS: Hells Angels clubhouse among Saskatoon, Warman raids

Jan 14, 2015 | 2:37 AM

Large numbers of police officers were seen across Saskatoon starting in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

The Saskatoon Police Service (SPS) reported they were working alongside RCMP as part of an investigation that included searches in Saskatchewan and Alberta.

The Hells Angels clubhouse in Saskatoon’s Holiday Park neighbourhood  was one of the locations targeted in the raids.  In the early morning hours, several SPS units, including an armoured vehicle, were seen surrounding the motorcycle club’s compound and blocking access to the surrounding area.

By about 9 a.m. the police presence at the clubhouse was scaled back, with a few cruisers remaining to block incoming traffic and an unmarked van remaining.

Police were also active in the Evergreen neighbourhood.  They arrived when it was still  dark, with the SPS armoured vehicle visible on Rajput Way.

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There were also police in the Silverwood and Nutana neighbourhoods. 

A woman living on Brown Crescent, in Saskatoon’s south end, described seeing a nearby house searched by police.

“We were woken up by a huge loud bang that immediately we thought might have been a rifle shot,” she said, before adding that they later guessed the noise likely came from the battering ram police had with them.  

No one appeared to be home at first, she said, until a vehicle pulled into the driveway soon after.

“The police that were in the driveway took the gentleman out of the vehicle and put cuffs on him,” she said.

She said she counted at least 15 heavily armed officers surrounding the home. After police secured the area, officers were seen heading in and out of the house loading bags into the back of an unmarked SUV. 

The woman said she didn’t know who lived in the rental home. Other residents in the area reported people wearing Fallen Saints motorcycle club patches were known to come and go from the property.  

Police conduct searches in Warman

Warman also saw police activity at at least two homes.

Terry Jenson, editor-in-chief of the Clark Crossing Gazette, told News Talk Radio that he arrived at Gunther Crescent shortly after 7 a.m. He said he saw at least a dozen police vehicles and several RCMP officers.

“There’s members in uniform, members not in uniform, members in fatigues carrying assault rifles,” he said.

Jenson said he knew one of the officers and asked him what was going on.

“He just shook his head and said: ‘I can’t say — it’s big.’”

Karie Fahlman lives on Lakeridge Drive in Warman.  She recalls hearing three big bangs around 6 a.m. She looked out her front window to see over two dozen tactical team officers pointing rifles at the house across the street.

“I was very scared, I locked my doors right away,” she said.

There was still a heavy police presence when her husband left for work around 7:30 a.m. telling her to not send their son to school.

“We didn’t now what was going on so then I went to talk to my neighbour, he was outside. ‘He said I missed it all half-an-hour previous — SWAT team, like men with rifles, everything,’” she said adding one person was arrested.

“I guess what I heard was them kicking in the door. It was crazy.”

Fahlman said she never met the owners, adding they had just moved in before Christmas.

In a media release, police said there is no risk to public safety, but asked the public and the media to respect any barricades put in place.

Police expect to be able to provide more information on Thursday.

It appears the raids yesterday were not isolated to Saskatoon and Warman.

RCMP officers were also seen Wednesday at gun supply stores in both Melfort and Nipawin.

At the store in Nipawin, police were seen carrying out boxes of guns.

RCMP will not confirm if these incidents are directly related to the raids in Saskatoon.

Sgt Craig Cleary informed paNOW that they will address the raids during a news conference later on Thursday in Saskatoon.

with files from News Talk Radio’s Trelle Kolojay, Bre McAdam and Kelly Malone, and paNOW’s Nigel Maxwell

news@panow.com

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