Inside the bloodshed of Melbourne’s bikie wars
Bloodshed came to the streets of Melbourne as feuding bikie gangs exchanged gunfire, leaving dozens of victims in their wake. But the tide is starting to turn.
Victoria
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The Echo taskforce had no choice but to hit the ground running in 2011.
As Victoria emerged from the gangland war era carnage, outlaw motorcycle gangs were quickly building in strength and making overt displays of their force.
Senior police had not viewed the bikies as a priority and, after seeing off the underworld conflict, were busy trying to deal with the menace of expanding Middle-Eastern organised crime.
But by the start of last decade, it was apparent something needed to be done.
The Comancheros had grown to be a real power, taking a strong hand in high-level drug trafficking in Victoria and being repeatedly linked to violent crime.
Very public bloodshed came to the streets the day then-Bandido enforcer Toby Mitchell was shot in Brunswick in 2011 and he was to survive another high-profile ambush two years later.
Various feuding gangs exchanged gunfire at different times leaving dozens of victims, some fatally injured, and at least three who were not the intended targets.
There was an increasing number of drive-by shootings with clubhouses, strip venues, tattoo parlours, gyms and brothels coming under attack.
In recent times, the influence of Echo appears to have helped make the tide turn.
There has not been an OMCG-related shooting for 32 months as the taskforce’s work was bolstered by the introduction of firearms prohibition orders and the VIPER taskforce.
Mark Buttler, Anthony Dowsley, Brianna Travers and Olivia Jenkins examine the violence before the ceasefire.
June, 2008
Hells Angels bikies were investigated over the disappearance of Shepparton man Engin Ozdemir, 46.
Mr Ozdemir disappeared without trace and his car was later discovered at a local railway station.
Detectives suspected it may have been left there to give the impression he had gone somewhere.
Hells Angels had previously threatened Mr Ozdemir, who was a witness in the prosecution of a Melbourne businessman facing fraud and taxation charges.
The 46-year-old and others were warned by the Angels not to give evidence.
October, 2008
The shooting of veteran Bandido Ross Brand outside the gang’s clubhouse in Geelong put bikie violence back in the public eye.
His murder was a classic case of one act of violence leading to another.
Hours before he was gunned down, a fight had erupted between Bandidos and a group of men affiliated with the Rebels, Death Before Dishonour, at the Geelong Cup in 2008.
Later that evening a drive-by attack on the clubhouse claimed Brand’s life.
A new organised crime taskforce dubbed Santiago investigated.
Half brothers John and Derek Bedson were both convicted over the crime.
The force would soon see fit to tackle outlaw bikies with a dedicated taskforce dubbed Echo as the violence escalated over the next few years.
November, 2011
As the bikie scene erupted, Toby Mitchell was the most notorious of them all.
The-then national sergeant-at-arms of the Bandidos lived and breathed the outlaw life.
But with his notoriety came danger.
On a November afternoon in 2011, two masked men emerged from a Ford SUV and opened fire on Mitchell as he stood outside Doherty’s Gym in Brunswick, talking to the owner.
He was shot six times as he evaded his attacker through a Brunswick shopping centre carpark.
No one was charged over the public shooting, but Mitchell probably knows who did it.
March, 2013
Toby Mitchell was shot for a second time in an outbreak of gunfire at Melton.
Mitchell had been visiting the clubhouse of the Diablos, a Bandido feeder club, when the shots rang out.
This time his injuries were nowhere near as bad.
The ambush remains unsolved, though it is believed the perpetrator may have copped some lead in return at a later date.
Mitchell would eventually finish up with the Bandidos, signing on with the Mongols.
But last year he was booted from that gang, along with a few close associates, including Mark Balsillie and Sam “The Punisher” Abdulrahim.
November, 2013
Badass brothers Daniel and Ben Pegoraro were burst players in the bikie scene.
They weren’t around for long, but they made an impact.
As older brother Daniel made his debut with the Hells Angels, Ben linked up with its feeder club, the Red Devils.
These two were more “street” than “bikie” and they seemed to enjoy their new found infamy.
But after the 2013 ambush of then Bandido Toby Mitchell, who was hit with a bullet in the arm in a Melton backblock, the glamour of bikie life lost its glitter.
Whether he was responsible for tagging Mitchell or not, the word spread that Daniel was a dead man walking.
Soon, he would become a victim himself, shot in the backside.
After a few brushes with the law and staring down the barrel of a gun, Daniel dropped out of the scene.
Little brother Ben did the same.
May, 2014
Michael Strike was fatally assaulted at the Bandidos MC clubhouse in Weston St, Brunswick.
Mr Strike, of Dandenong, was seen by members stirring up the dog of a member which was tied up outside.
He was told to leave but, when he did not, was dragged inside where he continued to argue.
Mr Strike was then punched with what a witness said were “big hits” before being struck with an iron bar.
His body was found dumped near Keilor Cemetery.
Two Bandido members were later jailed for the manslaughter of Mr Strike, who was drug and alcohol-affected at the time of the violence.
July, 2014
Paul Kingsbury disappeared after reportedly stealing two guns from a senior Bellarine Peninsula Bandidos gang member.
He was last seen on the night of July 6 at a property in Larkins Lane in Moolap.
It is understood the 27-year-old had been on the radar of several underworld figures in the area.
A previous run-in with a Bandido-linked criminal known for his violent nature had left him shaken, and on another occasion shortly before he vanished, he broke open a safe containing $12,000.
Several people have been questioned and released without charge over the years following the disappearance.
Massive search efforts by homicide squad detectives, the Air Wing and State Emergency Services failed to locate Mr Kingsbury.
May, 2015
Derrimut 24:7 Gym operator Nikolaos Solomos narrowly avoided death when a masked gunman fired two shots at the entrepreneur outside his Burnside home on May 21.
The 32-year-old, who enlisted Hollywood legend Arnold Schwarzenegger to help promote his expanding gym empire, had just arrived home about 5.40pm when he was ambushed. He escaped with minor injuries from shattered glass.
Investigators believed a handgun was used during the attack, in which the balaclava-clad assailant ran back to his car before fleeing the scene.
The driver of the vehicle was at the time described as caucasian, aged in his late 20s to early 30s with brown wavy hair.
Police offered a $100,000 reward to help solve Mr Solomos’ attempted murder and charged a 25-year-old Glen Waverley man over the attack the following year.
One month after the shooting in June 2015, the bomb squad was called to Mr Solomos’ home to probe a suspicious device found underneath his Holden Commodore.
October, 2015
Comanchero Robert Morando was shot on his regular evening walk near home at Narre Warren South.
Morando, who was on bail, was critically injured on Berwick Springs Promenade after being blasted to the torso by an unidentified gunman who may have been aware of his routine.
He was rushed to hospital and pulled through but the injuries meant he could not work again.
The bodybuilder had previously been the head of Ultimate Crowd Control and was an associate of Comancheros boss Mick Murray.
The case remains unsolved.
February, 2016
The tribalism of being a soldier led Lachlan Floyd into the bikie ranks.
It didn’t last.
He would be cut loose from powerful gang the Mongols and later find himself pointing a gun at a love rival.
Floyd had learned his ex-girlfriend was dating another wild man, ex-Fink bikie Stuart Townsend, who had added insult to injury by threatening him and his family.
Then they met in a park.
The meeting ended when Floyd fired at least five shots at Townsend, killing him.
Floyd was arrested soon after the incident in Hughesdale and the following year sentenced to six and a half years prison in 2017.
March, 2016
Bros, a low-key Melbourne-based OMCG, came under fire at their Yarraville clubhouse.
Two members were wounded in an ambush at their Campbell St stronghold as club comrades gathered for a function.
CCTV showed the shooter, wearing a grey hoodie, get out of a car in Kent St then sprint to the clubhouse where he unloaded a succession of rounds.
He then dashed away as more than 10 of the Bros crew pursued on foot, on bikes and in cars.
Two victims, A 38-year-old man from Altona and a 37-year-old man from Herne Hill, were seriously wounded.
August, 2016
Two West Australian Comancheros were wounded in an after-dark shooting ambush at Attwood in Melbourne’s northwest.
CCTV showed them arriving in Lavery Place for a meeting before the bullets began to fly seconds later.
They were walking towards a house as a shooter emerged from cover pulling the trigger while another fired from bushes.
One of the men, aged in his 20s, was later collected by an ambulance at the scene and the other turned up at the Westmeadows Tavern about 45 minutes later.
The victims were later treated in the Royal Melbourne Hospital but declined to help police investigators before heading back to Perth.
A stolen VW Golf suspected of being used by the shooters was later found abandoned in Westmeadows.
April, 2017
Three men were shot outside the former Bandidos bikie clubhouse in Brunswick during a targeted drive-by attack.
The trio – a 54-year-old Altona man, a 43-year-old Coburg North man and a 26-year-old Gladstone Park man – all kept their lips sealed and refused to co-operate with investigators after the shootings.
It is believed a group of unknown assailants drove past the clubhouse about 11pm and fired more than 5 shots into the property.
Police at the time said the men had gathered for a barbecue outside the Weston St clubhouse
All three men, who were linked to the outlaw motorcycle gang and known to police, were taken to hospital with serious leg injuries.
May, 2017
Muhammed Yucel was shot dead in Keysborough as he left after a night of gaming at a mate’s place.
A hit team sat off a Keysborough property and opened fire on the innocent Mr Yucel as he opened a rear roller-door.
Links later emerged with senior Comanchero member Hasan Topal.
A cloned number plate attached to one of two cars used by the suspects was later found to have been printed at a northern suburbs gym owned by Topal.
It was on a black Jeep Cherokee which the killers failed to fully incinerate at Cranbourne in the aftermath of the crime.
Investigators were also to find one of two murder weapons discarded in scrub by the Great Ocean Rd.
A man linked to the Mongols OMCG is believed to have been the intended target of the Yucel shooters.
July, 2017
A shooter opened fire on a group of Bandidos bikies as they rode across the Bolte Bridge, injuring a senior bikie and a clubmate
The attacker fired shots at up to six riders from a moving vehicle after reportedly being tipped off about the gang’s movements about 8.30pm on July 29.
A 40-year-old Sunbury man fell off his bike and slid into a barrier when he was shot.
The second injured man later presented himself to hospital.
Victoria Police’s anti-bikie Echo Taskforce probed what investigators believed was a targeted attack.
It was unclear whether the assailant had targeted all six riders or an individual.
August, 2017
Zabi Ezedyar was killed as he visited a Narre Warren home occupied by gangland figure Mohammed “Afghan Ali” Keshtiar.
The shooter made no attempt to confirm he had the right man, opening fire while his car was moving.
Keshtiar, a senior Mongol heavily involved in recruitment for the gang, was the likely target of the hit.
Topal is again thought to be the culprit.
If he was, he was unconcerned about ballistics checks.
The handgun used to kill Mr Ezedyar was later linked to other shootings for which Topal was prime suspect.
They included a Bolte Bridge ambush in which two Bandido bikies were wounded as a gunman opened fire from a car.
October, 2017
Former Mongols strongman Mark Balsillie was lucky to survive an attempt on his life.
The attack, where he was shot eight times, unfolded in Melbourne’s inner suburbs.
It is widely believed the gunman was former OMCG associate Hasan Topal, of the Comancheros.
Balsillie belonged to the Comancheros before defecting to the Mongols.
He was sent to Russia to patch over ex-Comancheros to his new gang.
Topal fled overseas in 2019 and is wanted by police over several other gun attacks in Melbourne.
February, 2018
Robert Ale was lucky to survive being riddled with bullets at a Hampton Park as he was being tattooed at the Nitro Ink parlour.
Others in the vicinity could also have died as the hooded gunmen indiscriminately sprayed bullets which pierced walls and travelled into adjoining premises.
Ale was a patched Comanchero who ran the Last Kings, a sub-set of the gang specialising in extortion and arson attacks.
Up to 10 rounds entered his body as the would-be hitmen bolted into the business and blasted Ale with up to 10 shots.
They fled and incinerated their getaway car before escaping the area in another vehicle.
Ale is serving an 18-year jail term for large-scale drug trafficking, conspiracy to commit arson, conspiracy to recklessly cause injury and other crimes.
March, 2019
Mitat Rasimi was ambushed and shot in the head as he pulled up at his home in Dandenong.
Rasimi, a former associate of jailed drug boss Tony Mokbel, is alleged to have owed money to members of the Comanchero motorcycle gang.
He had just attended a meeting at a Dandenong cafe frequently visited by members of the Albanian community.
Police were later to say they believed he had been stalked to Dawn Ave where the fatal shots were fired.
Three men have subsequently been charged with his murder.
April, 2019
Daniel O’Shea – known in the underworld as “Shot-Caller” – was shot dead in Fawkner Park.
He had a low public profile but was regarded by gangland investigators as being an influential man in those circles.
O’Shea was closely connected to the Comanchero outlaw motorcycle gang and other organised crime groups throughout Australia.
Police certainly considered whether his death could be connected to other murders in the period which had bikie and Middle-Eastern organised crime links.
A man, whose name has been suppressed, has been charged with O’Shea’s murder.
September, 2019
Bendigo Rebels bikie Justin Talbot was sentenced to eight years behind bars in August 2022 over a violent home invasion that left a man in a wheelchair after being shot in the leg.
Talbot’s 45-year-old victim remains unable to walk or return to work after the regional underworld figure shot him in his kneecap with a sawn off shotgun in September 2019.
Talbot forced his way inside a Bendigo home searching for another man, believed to be named Luke, who he believed stole a Suzuki motorcycle.
He shot the man sitting on a couch inside the home after he repeatedly told Talbot he was not aware of his friend’s whereabouts.
Talbot has a non-parole period of five years and six months.
November, 2019
Croydon fruiterer Paul Virgona, 46, was shot dead in an execution-style attack on EastLink at 2.15am on November 9, 2019.
The devoted family man was allegedly followed from his Larissa Court home by two men driving a luxury Mercedes.
Police allege Mongols OMCG members Aaron Ong and Joshua Rider lay in wait for almost two hours outside Mr Virgona’s home before they sprayed his van with bullets on EastLink.
The suburban shooting is believed to be a case of mistaken identity as Mr Virgona had no criminal associations, nor any connections to any outlaw motorcycle gangs.
One question that remains unanswered is whether Rider and Ong were acting autonomously when they ambushed Mr Virgona.
No further charges have been laid over the Virgona matter.
The pair are expected to be sentenced in coming months.
June, 2020
Kerry Giakoumis was an Adelaide Hells Angels associate who travelled in a car to Melbourne with some of the gang’s members.
He planned to stay several days but when he did not fulfil a flight booking back to Adelaide, his worried mother contacted police.
Investigators tracked the days Giakoumis was in Melbourne but the trail went cold on the night of June 20, when he visited the Angels’ Nomads division clubhouse in Thomastown.
Detectives suspect it was here that he was fatally assaulted by gang members and his body removed.
A search of the Jacksons Creek area at Diggers Rest did not locate his remains.
There have been numerous arrests and a raid on the Nomads stronghold but, so far, no one has been charged.
February, 2021
Father-of-five Ikenasio “Sio” Tuivasa, 33, was outside the All Star Lounge in Ravenhall on February 27, 2021, when he was fatally gunned down in a drive-by shooting.
Sekomain Vave and Nikola Latuhoi, both aged 26, have been charged over his alleged murder.
Mr Tuivasa, from Deer Park, was allegedly hit with a spray of bullets fired from the passenger side of a Toyota HiLux SR5 about midnight.
Police allege Mr Vave had been in a dispute with an associate of Mr Tuivasa, Karl Pale, who was at the pool hall on the night of the shooting.
Homicide detectives are investigating if it could have been a motive for the ambush and that Mr Pale was the intended target.
Homicide detectives have said members of the Hells Angels and Comanchero bikie gangs both regularly attended the Ravenhall venue.
July, 2021
Shane Bowden, who was at the centre of the infamous “Ballroom Blitz” gang battle at Surfers Paradise, was shot in his Epping driveway days after he was released from a Victorian prison.
Bowden, 47, left Loddon prison in June 2021, and was escorted by his Mongol clubmates in a stretch limousine.
However the former cycling star allegedly assaulted a senior clubmate days after the public show of camaraderie, resulting in his expulsion from the club.
Just 15 days after leaving prison, Bowden was shot in the leg in what was believed to have been a retaliatory attack.
He was killed in an ambush-style shooting at the Gold Coast on October 12, where he was hit up to 12 times with bullets.
Mongol Fidel Gunes has been charged with Bowden’s murder alongside nine others from the gang.
Originally published as Inside the bloodshed of Melbourne’s bikie wars
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