A fire at a building used by a motorcycle club likely started in retaliation for a shooting that took place nearby over the weekend that left one dead and seven wounded, Baltimore police said Thursday night.
In the chapel of Knox Presbyterian Church, the commander of the Eastern District, Maj. Jai Etwaroo, expressed the investigators’ suspicions at a network meeting. The comments came a day after firefighters put out a fire coming out of the warehouse at 1301 N. Spring St. . With damaged windows and blackened brick façade.
The fire came four days after what police described as a “mass shooting” that claimed the life of 36-year-old Anthony Martin on Sunday night. Six men between the ages of 21 and 46 were injured, as was a 41-year-old woman, according to police.
Etwaroo called the shooting “the most traumatic experience” as a district commander so far. According to a ballistics analysis by the BPD, he said, 10 firearms were fired in the shooting. Because of the thunder, the shooter who was nearby did not first trip over the shot, he added.
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Etwaroo did not elaborate on who might have retaliated against the motorcycle club or how the fire ignited.
As Etwaroo spoke inside the chapel, more than two hundred neighbors and network members gathered for a vigil on the basketball courts near the building. Participants carried blue, silver and white balloons while ten police officers patrolled the area. Some exchanged photos of Patrón and Hennessy to toast Martin.
The fire in the warehouse occurred around 10:00 p. m. Wednesday. Firefighters saw smoke coming from the garage and temporarily entered and extinguished the fire, a Baltimore City Fire Department spokesperson said. No one was injured, according to firefighters and police. The police arson unit is investigating.
The network’s meeting at the chapel, where Etwaroo spoke to about 50 attendees, included a lively discussion about the lack of police presence in the neighborhood, specifically to prevent incidents like the shooting.
Etwaroo asked attendees not to call the local community agreement when riots broke out, but to call 911, mentioning the fact that there have only been 4 court cases about the motorcycle club since the district commander.
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“It wasn’t on our radar,” he said. So please, when you see something, say something. Call 911. “
The warehouse had been indexed in public records as the address of “TB Aberdeen Motorcycle Club Inc. ” The company declared a loss last year after failing to file an asset tax return.
According to public records, two motorcycle-related businesses have been registered on the Spring Street front. “Moon’s Motorcycle Transport LLC” has been associated with the front since 2022, records imply that the company is not in good standing currently.
They are registered with Carlton Shaw. Reached by phone, Shaw said he had nothing to do with the Array.
Facebook posts have advertised the warehouse as a venue for parties hosted by motorcycle teams for several years.
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Housing Commissioner Alice Kennedy told network members that the city is examining burned construction in an effort to declare it vacant. Kennedy added that a vacant name “gives us even more equipment in our toolbox to help the network. “He said, it would initiate relief proceedings with the landlord and could eventually lead to the city obtaining it or putting it into bankruptcy. How it plays out will depend on the homeowner’s reaction to the relief procedure, Kennedy said.
Earlier that day, Oliver’s neighbors walked past the burned remains as two employees threw charred plywood into a vending truck and wiped down damaged windows. The warehouse had been a source of tension in the network for some time, with exchanges between members of the network. and the motorcycle club for parking, noise and grass, neighbors said Thursday morning.
“They burned down the motorcycle club,” shouted a young man as he passed by and filmed the rubble with his mobile phone.
Several neighbors who passed by Thursday morning said they suspected the fire was an act of retaliation for Sunday night’s shooting and was just the latest escalation between the community and the motorcycle club.
The warehouse is on a small street next to a basketball court, new tennis courts and Calvin B Park. Scruggs Sr. The net used the courts and the park. On Sundays, crowds of cyclists came from outside to the network to host parties and events in the clubhouse. Sometimes cyclists would put up cones to close off the street and refuse to let other people pass, a neighbor said.
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The scenario is heading towards a breaking point.
“You may see it build up,” said the man, who requested anonymity.
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Police officers were called to the scene on Sunday night due to loud noises and the fact that motorcycles were blocking the street. The officers discovered no obstructions or loud noises and left, a branch spokeswoman said.
City Councilman Robert Stokes said at the scene Monday that there have been tensions for years between the community and the motorcycle group.
“The chain called for this specific place, because in the afternoon they would leave this building,” he said. “It may be 2 or 3 in the morning and they are starting the motorcycles, making all this noise. “