Former criminal and founder of outlaw biker group, Sonny Barger, has passed away at 83 in his home in Livermore, CA.
Ralph Hubert Barger Jr. was born on October 8, 1938 in Modesto, California. His mother left the family when he was 4 months old. His father remarried another woman, but she also abandoned him for another man. His father, a day laborer loading ships and trucks at the Oakland docks, often brought Sonny along to waterfront bars, where his father spent most of his money.
At school, Barger was suspended repeatedly due to his behavior. Later, under the care of his paternal grandmother, he dropped out of high school at 16 and joined the army with a fake certificate.
The Hells Angels is a predominately white all-men motorcycle group that often gets tangled with the law. For example, Sonny Barger served a total of eight years in prison for drugs and firearms charges. The Hells Angels had chapters all across the country, and faced constant federal investigation on criminal enterprise and racketeering.
In 2013, 16 members in South Carolina were convicted in a conspiracy of drug distribution, gun running, money laundering, and arson. Another time, at a 1969 Rolling Stones concert, an armed 18 year old attendee was stabbed to death by a Hells Angel. According to Barger who was present at the scene, the Hells Angels were hired as security and were fighting off fans rushing the stage.
In a statement on his official Facebook page to be posted after his death, Barger urged people to “discover your limits by exceeding them.”
Link to Article: Sonny Barger, biker outlaw and founder of Hells Angels, dies at 83 – The Washington Post.pdf
Ralph Hubert Barger Jr. was born on October 8, 1938 in Modesto, California. His mother left the family when he was 4 months old. His father remarried another woman, but she also abandoned him for another man. His father, a day laborer loading ships and trucks at the Oakland docks, often brought Sonny along to waterfront bars, where his father spent most of his money.
At school, Barger was suspended repeatedly due to his behavior. Later, under the care of his paternal grandmother, he dropped out of high school at 16 and joined the army with a fake certificate.
The Hells Angels is a predominately white all-men motorcycle group that often gets tangled with the law. For example, Sonny Barger served a total of eight years in prison for drugs and firearms charges. The Hells Angels had chapters all across the country, and faced constant federal investigation on criminal enterprise and racketeering.
In 2013, 16 members in South Carolina were convicted in a conspiracy of drug distribution, gun running, money laundering, and arson. Another time, at a 1969 Rolling Stones concert, an armed 18 year old attendee was stabbed to death by a Hells Angel. According to Barger who was present at the scene, the Hells Angels were hired as security and were fighting off fans rushing the stage.
In a statement on his official Facebook page to be posted after his death, Barger urged people to “discover your limits by exceeding them.”
Link to Article: Sonny Barger, biker outlaw and founder of Hells Angels, dies at 83 – The Washington Post.pdf
