5 Years Ago Today: Biker gang shootout at Waco Twin Peaks leaves 9 dead, 177 behind bars

On May 17, 2015, a fight that started at Waco’s Twin Peaks restaurant led to a brawl involving five rival biker clubs.

Shots were fired inside the restaurant’s patio area and the fight spilled into the parking lot where the gunfire continued.

Eighteen Waco police officers and four DPS troopers were positioned outside because of intelligence that indicated there could be trouble at the restaurant and they responded within 30 seconds.

As they did, bikers began to fire on them. When it was over, nine bikers from two of the five gangs were dead, 18 others were wounded. No officers, customers or bystanders were injured.

The Central Texas Marketplace and roadways in the area were closed to traffic.

The shootout resulted in the unprecedented roundup by authorities of 177 bikers. Those detained were taken to the Waco Convention Center, which was also under heavy security.

Months later, 154 biker club members would be indicted of engaging in organized criminal conduct.

The charges for all but two dozen defendants were eventually dismissed.

In November 2017, the lone case to reach a jury ended in a dramatic mistrial when jurors failed to reach a unanimous verdict in the case of Jake Carrizal, the president of the Dallas Bandidos chapter.

Ultimately, all remaining cases were dismissed.