The Thunderguards motorcycle gang will shutdown its clubhouse in Wilmington - at least for the time being.
Before a scheduled hearing Thursday, the Thunderguards agreed Wednesday to vacate the property immediately as part of a court order securing the closure.
Attorney General Beau Biden and Wilmington Mayor Dennis P. Williams filed a lawsuit last month seeking to permanently shutter the clubhouse on 2800 block of Northeast Boulevard on the city’s East Side under the state’s “criminal nuisance abatement” law.
They also sought an emergency injunction to get the Thunderguards off the property which has been the site of 15 shootings, including five homicides, in the past eight years.
The court order requires the clubhouse to close its doors by 5pm Thursday and remain closed until a hearing later this year determines its permanent status.
“No resident of Wilmington or visitor to our City should be at risk from the ongoing pattern of violence that has been occurring on this property,” Biden said in a statement. “Today’s action accomplishes our first goal of immediately closing the property to protect the safety of the public. Over the next several weeks we will closely monitor this property in order to hold the defendants accountable to their obligations and we’ll continue to prepare for a hearing later this year to determine the permanent status of the site.”
“For years, violent crimes, including multiple shootings and homicides, have been committed at the Thunderguards Motorcycle Club clubhouse, The closure of the clubhouse is not only good for the City, it is also good for the citizens living in or near the neighborhood,” said Mayor Dennis P. Williams in his own statement.
The Thunderguards Motorcycle Club is also not permitted to allow anyone to enter or remain on the property during the closure - though two other businesses on the property can operate Monday through Saturday during business hours.
The full terms of the court order regarding the Thunderguards clubhouse are:
- The Thunderguards Motorcycle Clubhouse will be shuttered at 5:00 p.m. on May 15 and will remained closed until a hearing to determine its permanent status is held later this year.
- The Thunderguards Motorcycle Club shall not permit anyone to enter or remain on any part of its portion of the property during its closure.
- During its closure the Thunderguards Motorcycle Club shall hold no meetings on the property and shall not rent, lease, or otherwise permit any events whatsoever to be held on the Property.
- During its closure the Thunderguards Motorcycle Club is responsible for securing its portion of the property, will make efforts to secure video monitoring and increased lighting on its portion of the property, and is responsible for contacting law enforcement to report any known suspicious behavior at the property.
- During its closure only two individuals from the Thunderguards Motorcycle Club – the President and Vice President – will be permitted on its portion of the 2800 block of Northeast Boulevard, and only during weekdays between the hours of 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., and only for the sole purpose of performing maintenance on the Property (undertaking physical repairs, removing any accumulated trash and debris, and removing high grass and weeds from the Property).