| Founded | 1968 [1] or 1973[2] |
|---|---|
| Founded by | William George "Jock" Ross[1] |
| Years active | since late 60s early 70s[1][2] |
| Territory | New South Wales coast[2] |
| Membership | 100[3] |
The Comanchero Motorcycle Club is an outlaw motorcycle gang in Australia, with chapters in Strathfield and Erskine Park.[4] The Commancheros are participants in the United Motorcycle Council of NSW, which has recently convened a conference aimed at addressing legislation aimed against the "bikie" clubs, their poor public image in the wake of several violent clashes and ongoing biker wars, and defusing deadly feuds such as the Comancheros' battles with the Hells Angels.[5][6] The sincerity of these efforts to defend the battered image of the clubs has met with skepticism.[7]
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The original club was formed by William George "Jock" Ross, a Scottish immigrant, in Sydney, New South Wales in 1968.[1] He chose the name after seeing the John Wayne film The Comancheros.[2] In late 1982, a second Comanchero chapter was formed by Anthony Mark "Snoddy" Spencer, who had broken away from the first chapter after challenging Ross' authority. When visiting the United States with Charles Paul "Charlie" Scibberas, another member of the second chapter, Spencer met with members of the Texan motorcycle club, the Bandidos and the two gangs became allies. The Bandidos eventually patched-over the second Comanchero chapter to become the Bandidos' first Australian chapter.[8]
The Comancheros and Bandidos were now rivals and in 1984, the two clubs were involved in the Milperra massacre, a shoot-out which left seven people dead, including four Comancheros, two Bandidos, and a 14-year-old bystander.[9] Jock Ross received a lifetime jail sentence for his involvement in the Milperra massacre.[1]
The Comancheros and Hells Angels were also believed to be involved in a clash at Sydney Airport on Sunday, 22 March 2009. The clash resulted in one man being beaten to death and police estimated as many as 15 men were involved in the violence. Police documents detail the brawl as a result of a Comanchero gang member and a Hells Angels biker being on the same flight from Melbourne.[10] Six Comancheros were arrested as a result of the altercation and have been convicted of "riot and affray", while Comanchero president Mick Hawi was also found guilty of murder on 2 November 2011.[11] As a result of heightening violence, New South Wales Premier Nathan Rees announced the state police anti-gang squad would be boosted to 125 members from 50.[12]
Prison authorities in Australia mistakenly faxed a list of every known member of the Commancheros, along with their addresses and birthdates, to their rivals, the Hells Angels on 17 July 2009, creating concerns that the error could prove dangerous with the wrong hands. The Hells Angels member was supposed to have been handed a list of his own club members, not his enemies. Authorities are conducting an investigation, after only becoming aware of the slip up when informed by a TV news reporter. It was announced in late 2009 that a new national president was elected named Duax Ngakuru [6][13][14]
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