Hells Angels Motorcycle club is an outlaw biker gang that finds its presence across the globe in many countries. The riders are mainly characterized by the Harley-Davidson bikes, logos and skulls. Their roots can be traced back to the 1940’s, when the club was founded by Otto Friedli in 1948. They have often been accused of carrying several criminal activities like racketeering, drug dealing, trafficking and extortion, but the group has always maintained that they are just a gang of bikers who love to ride and also raise funds and organize social events like parties along the road.

They have always been a subject of great debate and controversy, with one group of people portraying them as urban legends, while another accusing them of being a menace to the society. Their very origins are not entirely clear. It is believe that the group started in 1948 in Fontana, California. It may have originated from other previous bike groups like “The Pissed Off Bastards of Bloomington”. The name “Hells Angels” is almost certainly derived from the World War concepts of the deadly flying machines or the fighter planes. In fact, the third squadron of the “Flying Tigers”, a voluntary fighting unit of America during WW2, was named Hells Angels. For this reason, some people say that the group must have been formed by disgruntled ex-military men-turned conmen. But the bike gang itself denies such allegations and they rubbish claims that the group has deep connections with such military people or communities. Coming back to their origins, another version says that the group was formed in 1953 by San Bernardino Hells Angels member, Rocky Graves.

It is also possible that the group itself was formed by a merging of smaller chapters like the ones in Oakland under Ralph “Sonny” Barger, San Francisco, Fontana and Gardena.