Authorities are still trying to piece together what exactly happened at a Waco, Texas bar on Sunday, when a melee involving rival biker gangs and police left nine people dead and 18 injured. Let’s do the numbers on what we know so far:
That’s how many people were arrested in connection with shootout, all of them facing felony organized crime charges with bonds set for $1 million. That has potential to overwhelm McLennan County, one expert told USA Today, because the criminal docket was already full and costs for a single death penalty case can reach into the “high six figures.” Experts predicted many plea bargains and charges dropped.
The number of people who were detained after a similar biker brawl in Nevada in 2002, the New York Times reported. That gang fight, between the Hell’s Angels the Mongols, could offer a peek at how things will shake out in Waco: seven Hell’s Angels were convicted in federal court, and six Mongols pleaded guilty in state court.
The approximate cost of a jail bed in Texas, according to the Texas Criminal Justice Coalition.
That’s how many locations Twin Peaks sports bar has around the country, though the chain announced its Waco franchise would not reopen after Sunday’s violence, which was mostly confined to the parking lot. Police and the restaurant itself both blamed the franchise owner for ignoring warnings from law enforcement about the potential for violence.
The number of weapons police have collected from the scene so far, including 118 handguns, 157 knives, chains, brass knuckles, clubs and one AK-47. Police said they expect the number to rise because weapons were hidden all over: in trash cans, stoves and bags of chips, stuffed between seat cushions, even partially flushed down the toilet.
There’s a lot happening in the world. Through it all, Marketplace is here for you.
You rely on Marketplace to break down the world’s events and tell you how it affects you in a fact-based, approachable way. We rely on your financial support to keep making that possible.
Your donation today powers the independent journalism that you rely on. For just $5/month, you can help sustain Marketplace so we can keep reporting on the things that matter to you.