Senior Bandidos bikie shot in Ballarat during annual run

A senior bikie has been shot near a gang clubhouse as hundreds of members gather for an annual run through regional Victoria.

A senior member of the Bandidos bikie gang has been shot near a gang clubhouse during the group’s annual run to regional Victoria.

The 29-year-old man was admitted to Ballarat hospital shortly after 1am on Sunday with non-life-threatening injuries from a gunshot wound.

Police believe the senior outlaw motorcycle gang member was in the vicinity of the Bandidos’ club house when the shooting took place.

Bandidos OMG from around Australia gathered in Ballarat, Buninyong during their national run. Picture: NCA NewsWire

The comes as hundreds of members of the Bandidos OMCG descended on Ballarat and neighbouring Buninyong for their national run.

Victoria Police’s Echo and VIPER Taskforce, supported by local police and specialist units, monitored the event to ensure public safety.

Detectives attached to Echo Taskforce, a decade-old anti-bikie unit, will now take over the investigation into the shooting in Ballarat.

Victoria Police said on Friday that there would be an increased police presence in Ballarat before the gang departs Sunday. Picture: NCA NewsWire

Members of the OMCG, one of the state’s biggest, arrived in Ballarat on Friday before riding to Buninyong cemetery, about 11km away.

In a statement, Victoria Police said on Friday that there would be an increased police presence in Ballarat before the gang departed on Sunday.

“Police will be ready to take swift action in the event any members who commit criminal, road safety or public order offences,” they said.

Bandidos OMG gather at Lazy Moe's, a local restaurant which hosted the group last year. Picture: NCA NewsWire

Western Region Superintendent Frank Sells told the Herald Sun that police would “not be intimidated” and their presence would be increased.

Ballarat has hosted the Bandidos several times before, with the annual general meeting held last year at popular local restaurant Lazy Moe’s.

The club even posted a classified in Ballarat’s newspaper after the event, thanking the people of Ballarat for their “warm hospitality”.

Originally published as Senior Bandidos bikie shot in Ballarat during annual run