STURGIS, S.D. - An off-duty Seattle police officer was detained after a member of the Hells Angels motorcycle gang was shot and wounded during the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally.
The shooting happened around 1 a.m. Saturday in a main street bar. Police say there was a confrontation between members of the Hells Angels and the Iron Pigs, a motorcycle group open to law enforcement officers and firefighters.
Sturgis police say two gunshots were fired. The wounded man was taken to a Rapid City hospital.
Names of those involved were not released.
There were 400 to 500 people in the bar at the time.
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Five Seattle police officers were relieved of duty pending an investigation by South Dakota authorities, Seattle police spokesman Sean Whitcomb said.
Whitcomb said Seattle Police Chief Gil Kerlikowske sent a team of investigators to Sturgis to gather information.
A Seattle newspaper reported Monday that one of the police officers has been disciplined at least twice.
The Seattle Post-Intelligencer said both episodes occurred in 2005. In the first, the 43-year-old was disciplined for taunting fans at a professional football playoff game. Later, he was accused of threatening to shoot a restaurant manager after being told to leave.
