Interview with Author of 'Inside Biker Gangs Crime Empire'.  Aired 14:00-14:30p ET.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: "Newsroom" with Brooke Baldwin starts right now.</s>BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: Here we go, top of the hour, I'm Brooke Baldwin. You're watching CNN. Thank you for being with me. We begin in Waco, Texas where police say the threats against them by bikers have quote, unquote, toned down. But today they say they're still keeping their guard up, two days after this bloodbath in this parking lot that left nine bikers dead, 18 injured, and 170 people, accused gang members, all charged.</s>PATRICK SWANTON, WACO, TEXAS POLICE: There have been credible, reliable threats against law enforcement in and around our area. I will tell you those who have toned down a bit the last 24 hours. We are absolutely thankful of that. I've made mention last night that there's been enough tragedy and there's been enough bloodshed in Waco, Texas, we would appreciate there not be any more.</s>BALDWIN: And I want to share a picture that is pretty rare to see. I mean, a mugshot after mugshot after mugshots after mugshot. All of these picture represent $170 million worth of bond. You heard me. Authorities say every single person arrested is being charged with engaging in organized crime with a $1 million bond apiece. And more arrests are expected. We'll go into maybe capital murder charges in just a minute with my lawyer sitting next to me. But the seven shooting victims, I can tell you in the hospital, they are under guard, and police will not confirm what a law enforcement source tells CNN, that four of the nine killed were shot by police. They did say this entire shoot-out started after a biker gang that was not invited showed up to a biker gathering at this restaurant, twin peak restaurant. The gang, experts say this, patches on the bikers' leather jackets could have triggered the bloodbath. The banditos crew own this area of Texas apparently, according to experts. The Texas patch at the bottom called a bottom rocker. Expert tells CNN banditos may have taken some serious offense to a classic different gang wearing the same bottom rocker. But some banditos said, the gang is getting a bad rap with from a couple of bad apples. Take a listen.</s>JIMMY GRAVES, HIGH RANKING BANDITOS MEMBER: We are not gangs. We don't appreciate gangs. We don't appreciate being called a gang. We don't like it. We've never been a gang.</s>BALDWIN: With me now, the author of this book, "Angels of Death: Inside the Biker Gangs' Crime Empire." I have investigative journalist Julian Sher. And Julian, I mean, listen, we're getting this education here in these gangs. And I first have to ask you, these patches, I mean, how can you have their bloodbath, this massive shoot-out over a patch on someone's jacket? Can you explain this to me?</s>JULIAN SHER, AUTHOR, "ANGELS OF DEATH": It seems crazy, right, a piece of cloth and nine dead bodies.</s>BALDWIN: Totally crazy.</s>SHER: And a lot of blood. But that's what these bikers are about. I mean, I've spent years talking with them and interviewing them. This is a gang, contrary to what that guy said. They wear uniforms. It's an army. And that patch, they will die for that patch. They will - they will kill for that patch. Because it's about pride, but it's also about territory. I got off the phone with a veteran biker cop who'd been investigating the banditos for most of his career. And he said that traditionally the Cossacks, who also have been around for 30 years, got along more of less the banditos there are only 150 of them compared to the banditos more than a thousand. But the Cossacks insisted they had their time and they wanted to put the word Texas on their bottom rocker or the bottom of their patch. And for the banditos, the banditos are competing with the hells angels around the world, around the U.S., but Texas was their home state. They were not going to see an inch. So to think that something like this would explode over something so small I think goes to the mentality. This is an organized crime biker gang. And as they like to say, cut one of us, we all bleed.</s>BALDWIN: To the criminality, I mean, I know you mention patches and you mentioned territory. But I also understand this is about money. This is about turning a profit. This is about selling drugs, this is about who has the money most, yes?</s>SHER: Absolutely. These are businesses. Literally franchises where you have to apply to be able to set up a bandito franchise. It's about...</s>BALDWIN: You've got to be kidding me.</s>SHER: It's about the power and vroom. It's about drugs, methamphetamine, cocaine, and it's about controlling the territory. There have been violent, violent explosions in Europe where the banditos have gone to war again their rivals, in Canada, in Australia. You know, I think it's time Americans wake up and realize as I'm very fond of saying America's gift to the world are biker gangs. It is America's number-one crime export. The only major organized group that came from America and has now filtered around the world.</s>BALDWIN: Let me ask but this because you know and I know we heard the sergeant in Waco talking down maybe this threat that there have been fears, right, that other gang members would all be headed to Waco for possibly retribution. I mean, do you think that that is what some of these bikers who would be considered, you know, armed and very dangerous would engage in another shoot-out? I mean, heard from somebody who infiltrated gangs for decades and said no way. They just want to go and take care of business while 170 of their friends are in jail.</s>SHER: Well, I don't think they'll try to attack police, but they will take their time and reap vengeance on their rivals. They see this as a long...</s>BALDWIN: What does vengeance look like for them?</s>SHER: Well, vengeance looks like an eye for an eye. The last time we had this kind of shooting in a casino in Laughlin back in 2002, in Nevada, two rival gang, same idea, public place, guns go off, three people dead. Within 24 hours, one other member of a rival gang was killed as retribution. The banditos aren't going to take this lying down. But now in many ways, the focus will switch to the courts. The problem is that the challenge to police and prosecution has is that you've got two levels that they're going to try to prove. You've got a crime. You've got murder. But they're also being charged, you know, with organized crime charge. Basically racketeering. And the challenge, that's where these court cases often fall apart, is you've got to be able to prove the underlying, the predicate crime, and then you've got to prove it was part of an organized crime conspiracy. And that's a tough doubleheader to hit.</s>BALDWIN: We're about to go there on the legalities of all of this. Julian Sher, thank you very much. I appreciate it. Author of "Angels of Death: Inside the Biker Gangs' Crime Empire." So let's talk about what they're being charged with and the 170 bikers now facing a million bucks in bond apiece. You know, that could really be the least of their problems for a few of these faces. Waco police say some in this group could be charged with capital murder. That is murder of two or more. Because of just the sheer number of people who were killed in the shoot-out. So let me bring in CNN legal analyst and criminal defense attorney Danny Cevallos. And first, I mean, looking at the picture - like it continues to scroll and continues to scroll. All these faces, a 170 people. I was reading the Waco paper this morning saying the booking process in and of itself has been painstakingly slow.</s>DANNY CEVALLOS, LEGAL ANALYST: Oh, it's like - like sporting event almost. Getting all the tickets. That many people you have to get in through - you have to process. Takes a while. The civilians are always shocked to find out how long the criminal booking process takes. It takes hours and hours and hours. And you have to have an initial appearance eventually before a magistrate. And the sheer troop movements in the case like this...</s>BALDWIN: Can you do some separate? What I read...</s>CEVALLOS: That's the other part, too. With this many people, from the arrest going forward, keeping them separate, keeping them from communicating with each other, keeping them from even transferring evidence, even if that evidence comes in the form of microscopic dust that is gunshot residue. You could slap someone's hand, transfer that. They probably won't get any effective gunshot residue testing - you saw in the aerial shot, they were all sitting next to each other. An interesting way to sort of harvest your suspects or harvest your arrestees because they're all together with their cell phones. Who knows what communication's going on.</s>BALDWIN: Sorry, can you repeat that? OK. I'm told we're having mic issue. Stand by, Danny Cevallos. Coming up, next a provocative discussion. Danny was just referencing the photo of all these biker sitting around on their cell phones. Is the coverage of the biker shoot-out showing a double standard when it comes to race, media, what about how the police responded? We'll talk with all sides of the debate. Also ahead, ISIS, reportedly using a sandstorm to capture a major Iraqi city. Hear how they did it. And the mystery grows around the murders of a family inside a mansion not too far from the vice president's residence. We're about to hear from the housekeeper who was told at the last minute do not come to work. You're watching CNN, we'll be right back.