Palm Springs police made at least 23 arrests this weekend as over 1,000 members of the Mongols Motorcycle Club visited the city.
The outlaw motorcycle gang visited Palm Springs for a gathering of its various chapters, which it has done several times since 2013. As a result, there was increased law enforcement presence, including members of California Highway Patrol, monitoring the group. The exact number of club members who attended is not known, and they stayed at two local hotels, according to police (one of which appears to have been the Margaritaville Resort Palm Springs, as observed by several Desert Sun staff members who live in the area).
When asked if any Mongols were arrested over the weekend and if so, how many, police spokesperson Lt. Gustavo Araiza said the Palm Springs Police Department made 23 different arrests as of Sunday afternoon. Six of the arrests were due to weapons violations, five were due to controlled substance violations, 10 were due to people having warrants, one was due to a parole violation and one was due to a post-release community supervision violation, he said.
He added that Palm Springs patrol staff are still monitoring the situation but most club members had left Palm Springs as of Sunday afternoon.
Ani Gasparyan covers the western Coachella Valley cities of Desert Hot Springs and Cathedral City. Reach her at ani.gasparyan@desertsun.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: 23 arrests of Mongols made during motorcycle club event in Palm Springs
