Charity Bike Run Video Falsely Linked to Hells Angels in Colorado
A Pennsylvania charity event video from 2022 has been miscaptioned as Hells Angels heading to Aurora, Colorado. Aurora police confirm no evidence of such activity, addressing separate gang violence rumors.
A video depicting a Pennsylvania charity motorcycle event has been circulating online with misleading claims, falsely suggesting it shows Hells Angels members en route to Aurora, Colorado. This misinformation has spread rapidly, highlighting the ongoing challenge of combating false narratives on social media platforms.
The footage in question actually captures the Tucker Toy Run Charity Event, which took place on November 5, 2022, in Northampton, Pennsylvania. This annual event is one of over 100 charity motorcycle runs held in Pennsylvania each year, contributing to the millions of dollars raised for various causes across the United States. The first such toy run was organized in Los Angeles in 1973 by a motorcycle gang, setting a precedent for charitable activities within the biking community.
The video's true origin was confirmed through multiple sources:
- TikTok post date: November 2022
- Google Street View imagery: Tri-Boro Sportsmen Club in Northampton, Pennsylvania
- Live recording: Northampton Borough Fire Department's Facebook page
Sydney Edwards, a public information officer at the Aurora Police Department, addressed the rumors in an email dated September 4, 2024, stating:
"The Aurora Police Department's Intelligence Unit has been looking into Hells Angels rumors on social media and we have no evidence to support these claims."
This clarification comes amidst separate, unverified rumors of gang violence at The Edge at Lowry apartments in Aurora. While police are investigating a viral video showing alleged gang activity, they have seized at least one firearm seen in the footage. Interim Chief of Police Heather Morris issued a statement on August 31, 2024, acknowledging the presence of gang members in the community but refuting claims of them taking over the apartment complex.
The rapid spread of this misinformation aligns with findings from a 2018 MIT study, which revealed that false news on social media propagates six times faster than accurate information. This incident underscores the critical role of fact-checking organizations, which have seen a significant increase in workload since the rise of social media platforms like TikTok, which boasts over 1 billion active users worldwide as of 2024.
It's worth noting that while the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club, founded in 1948 in Fontana, California, has chapters in 59 countries worldwide, there is no evidence of their involvement in the recent Aurora, Colorado, situation. Aurora, the third-largest city in Colorado with a population of 386,261 as of 2020, covers an area of 154.7 square miles and continues to address community safety concerns through official channels.
This incident serves as a reminder of the importance of critical thinking and fact-checking in the digital age, where the term "fake news" has become so prevalent that it was named the Collins Dictionary Word of the Year in 2017.
