Bandidos: 5 things to know about second-most dangerous motorcycle gang

Jessica Durando | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption Restaurant of biker gang shooutout takes heat after violence Twin Peaks, the restaurant in Waco, Texas, where several motorcycle gangs were involved in a shootout, is now facing reprimands from the state and the management team of the franchised restaurant.

A brawl between rival outlaw gangs Bandidos and Cossacks in Waco, Texas, ended with nine people dead, 18 others injured and 170 people arrested.

The situation has cast a spotlight on outlaw gang culture in the U.S. and its impact on society.

Of the two gangs, the Bandidos are considered the most dangerous. Here's what you need to know:

1. Who are the Bandidos?

The gang was started in San Leon, Texas, in 1966. It's one of the largest outlaw motorcycle gangs in the United States, with about 900 members and 93 chapters, according to the FBI. The Bandidos has a membership of 2,000 to 2,500 people in the U.S. and in 13 other countries, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

2. How dangerous are they?

A state gang threat assessment released last year by the Texas Department of Public Safety ranked the Bandidos as a "Tier 2" gang — or the second-most dangerous classification — alongside the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas and the Partido Revolucionario Mexicano (PRM). The most dangerous outlaw motorcycle gang in the U.S. is considered the Hells Angels from California.

3. What criminal activities are the gang involved in?

The Bandidos are involved in transporting and distributing cocaine and marijuana, and are involved in the production, transportation and distribution of methamphetamine, according to the DOJ.

4. Where are they most prominent?

According to the DOJ, the Bandidos are most active in the Pacific, Southeastern, Southwestern and the West Central regions of the U.S. The Bandidos are growing in each of these regions.

5. Who founded the gang?

According to gang legend, Donald Chambers, then 36, started the Bandidos. . He was working on the ship docks in Houston, according to a 2007 profile of the Bandidos by Skip Hollandsworth. The Bandidos MC Sweden website says Chambers was a war vet from Vietnam. Chambers felt disenfranchised by the treatment of troops back from the war.

"The members of the Brotherhood wanted respect, recognition and freedom for their actions. The laws of society had denied exactly these points. As club colors, the colors of the U.S. Marine Corps were selected: Red & Gold," the website says.

Follow @JessicaDurando on Twitter