Biker wars? String of suspected arsons, gunfire rock Ontario community

Brooklin residents woke to the smell of smoke early Sunday morning when a house on Pluto Way caught fire, with witnesses saying a suspect was spotted just after 4 a.m. entering the home with a gas can.

Whitby Fire were able to quickly get the fire under control.

The day before a vacant home on Pine Avenue in Oshawa caught fire, with no injuries reported.

These are the latest in a series of suspected arsons and targeted gunfire that have plagued Durham Region since the calendar turned over, with more than half dozen such incidents in the last month alone, with several linked to friction between rival motorcycle gangs.

Fire crews attempt to put a fire at a vacant home on Pine Avenue in Oshawa Feb. 28 . Photo Amberlynn Hill

Last Thursday two teenagers were arrested after police say they tried to set fire to Harley G’s, a clothing and tattoo shop on Simcoe Street in downtown Oshawa owned by Harley Guindon, who has been actively recruiting members for the reborn Satan’s Choice, a motorcycle club founded by his father, Bernie Guindon, more than 60 years ago.

Durham Police responded to an armed person call at the shop just after 4 a.m. Police said two male suspects arrived at the location in a black Honda and approached the storefront, with one suspect using a hammer to break the front door glass, while the second suspect attempted to ignite an ‘incendiary device.’ A short time later, officers located and arrested both suspects near Ritson Road and King Street.

A 16-year-old boy from Scugog and a 16-year-old from Toronto were both charged with arson, possession of an incendiary materials, disguise with intent and possession of stolen property.

Both suspects were wanted on outstanding warrants by several police services at the time of their arrests.

Police were called to the same address on Feb. 15 for a fire deemed “suspicious” and bullet holes were observed in the front window of Harley G’s a few days before. It is unknown if those incidents are related to last Thursday’s arson attempt.

There was also a house “explosion” in a residential neighbourhood in Oshawa on Feb. 21 that Durham Police have not called “suspicious,” but witnesses reported suspects running from the scene.

Police were called to a home near Gibbons Street and Annapolis Avenue just after 10 p.m. to assist fire crews after “multiple reports” of a home explosion.

Officers arrived on scene and found a residence fully engulfed in flames. Officers assisted with traffic control as Oshawa Fire extinguished the blaze. No injuries were reported to police, who are hoping the public can help them solve the case.

The next day a tragic house fire in Courtice Sunday left one person dead, though there is no evidence to link the fire to any of the other incidents.

Fire crews responded to the residential fire on Nash Road, near Varcoe Road at approximately 10:37 p.m., Durham Regional Police said. After some initial trouble getting into the home because of the conditions, firefighters discovered one person dead inside.

On Feb. 3 Police launched a search for at least three people suspected of arson after a home just east of downtown Oshawa – the site of a shooting incident in November – was set ablaze.

Police and fire crews were called to the residence near Richmond Street and Ritson Road at 11:30 p.m., arriving to find the main floor of the home engulfed in flames. Firefighters were able to put out the fire and one man was evacuated and taken to hospital with serious, non-life-threatening injuries.

Police said three males were seen entering the residence and “starting a fire” before fleeing in a black sedan.

A shoe repair shop on Olive Avenue caught fire Feb. 5. Photo Alicia Comer

On Feb. 5 fire crews were on the scene of a fire at a shoe repair shop on Olive Avenue, just east of downtown Oshawa. The basement of the shop had been linked to gang activity but police have declined several requests to make any statements on the situation.

Guindon has made no secret of his quest to bring the Satan’s Choice back to relevance, a quarter-century after most chapters patched over to the Hell’s Angels. He has also insisted there is no ‘biker war,’ just a “personal” dispute between him and two other bikers.

Harley G’s