Three shot outside Las Vegas lounge

Thursday, June 10, 2004 | 11:33 a.m.

Two members of the Hells Angels motorcycle gang and a woman were shot in the legs this morning outside the Sand Dollar Lounge on Spring Mountain Road near Interstate 15, Metro Police said.

Several Hells Angels were drinking in the bar about 2 a.m. when they got into an argument with some non-biker gang members, Officer Jose Montoya said.

The fight spilled out into the parking lot where one of the non-bikers pulled out a handgun and shot two of the bikers and a woman in the legs. The suspects jumped in a vehicle and drove away, Montoya said.

The reason for the argument wasn't clear. Police were called to the bar, but the victims declined to file a police report or answer questions as to what happened.

"They're bikers," Montoya said. "They either know who did it or they don't want to bring any more publicity on themselves."

Fourteen Hells Angels and Mongols bikers have trials pending in connection with a fatal brawl at the 2002 Laughlin River Run.

Going back at least to the early 1990s the Sand Dollar has also been a popular stop for bikers, whose motorcycles are lined up in front of the San Dollar entrance.

Some are weekend-warrior types but others represent biker gangs who proudly wear their colors and sit in the rear of the bar. These gangs have included members of the Hells Angles -- including chapters from Las Vegas, California and Arizona -- the Vagos and the Hessians.

The lounge offers live blues seven nights a week, attracting an eclectic crowd that ranges from musicians and highly-paid professionals to the seedier elements of Las Vegas. While the bar is usually packed on weekends it normally only draws 20 to 30 patrons during the middle of the week.