Hells Angels surprised by eviction and say clubhouse rent is paid

A day after being kicked out of their fortifiedHamilton clubhouse, the Hells Angels deny they have been negligent in paying rent.

A local lawyer representing the Hamilton chaptersays the issue is one between the building ownerthe clubhouse's landlord and the person who holds the mortgage on the property and not at all about the club..

It came as quite a surprise...they specifically deny being in any arrearsof rent.-JaimeStephenson, Hells Angelslawyer

"It's really a situation where they're caught in the middle but again it's not a police issue, it's certainly not a criminalissue," saidJaime Stephenson, a Hamiltonlawyer speaking on behalf of the group.

"They dispute the eviction as well as the basis for the eviction and they specifically deny that they failed to pay their rent."

What happened?

Just before 9:00 a.m. Thursday, neighbours witnessed a number of vehicles arrive at the motorcycle gang's clubhouse at Gage Avenue North and Beach Road.Officers from the OPP biker enforcement unit along with localpolice were there and appearedto drill open a lock at the clubhouse.

• Read More:Hells Angels getting evicted from north Hamilton clubhouse

Theyassistedabailiff who was there to serve an eviction notice.

"There was nothing special about it other than police attended but they attended for their own reasons..there was no issue in terms of any aggression or difficulty or standoff or anything like that," said Stephenson.

One person was inside the clubhouse at the time. His name is not being released."That was a friend visiting Canada and there was nothing more to it than that," Stephenson explained.

The personhas since returned to Germany.

"It came as quite a surprise," she said of the eviction notice.

"Their position is they specifically deny being in any arrearsof rent...it's really a landlord and mortgagor issue in terms of monies owed, not an issue with them, the group that's renting it,as far as monies are owed."

The clubhouse was home to about a dozen Hells Angels members, saidDet. Staff Sgt. Len Isner, head of the OPP biker enforcement unit. It was also shared witha handful of Red Devils biker gang members.

The clubhouse was active, Isner said, and an important part of the Hamilton chapter's identity.

What now?

For now, the clubhousewill remain closed and the gang members unable to access ituntil the issue is brought to court early next week and resolved.

"It is essentially a lock down right now...nobody can go in, nobody can get out, everything that's there stays there and once the proceedings are dealt with in court that will determine how things will proceed there after."

The property is owned by Greg Tilley, who according to 2009 media reportswas the one-time owner of the Gage Tavern, which used to be located at 105 Beach Rd.

The owner owes the city three years worth of back taxes,saidLarry Friday, the city's director of taxation. That's the equivalent of$69,452.37. The holder of the mortgage is a numbered company with a Stoney Creek address.

The Hells Angels will attend civil court on Tuesday with a lawyer present.