Jul 20, 2022 • 1 hour ago • 2 min read • 15 comments Hells Angels Toronto “Downtown” chapter member Donny Petersen (L) laughs with a member of the Ontario Nomads during a summer party at the Casaerea Marina complex in the summer of 2003 Jack Boland, Toronto Sun

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Hundreds of Hells Angels will roll into town Thursday to pay their respects to a fallen member at their old Leslieville leg before heading to a weekend party in Brooklyn.

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But Toronto police are vowing to “do everything they can” to make sure the illegal bikers – from 800 to 1,000 – disrupt the city as little as possible. “This procession will inevitably cause traffic disruption in our city,” said Supt. Scott Baptiste said at a news conference Wednesday. “We’re going to do everything we can to make sure there’s a robust traffic plan in place, to make sure traffic moves through the city and that this procession has the least possible impact on the people of Toronto.” He said police had been in “constant” communication with the Hells Angels about their intentions. “We have no information to indicate that they plan to do anything other than participate in the memorial walk, followed by a rally in the city,” Baptiste said, explaining that the HA will go to the city between 11 a.m. and 12 p.m.

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Toronto police officers, as well as York Regional Police and the OPP, will be watching the cyclists as they make their way from Newmarket down Hwy. 404 and DVP, then head east along Lake Shore Blvd. E. to Carlaw and Eastern Aves. — where the Hells Angels had a clubhouse until it was demolished in 2017 after it was seized by the Crown a decade earlier following a series of mass arrests. “Road closures will be in place in this area and we ask that people avoid traveling there if possible and make alternative travel plans,” Baptiste said, explaining that the main priority will be “safety.” “As with any large gathering taking place in our city, TPS will have visible resources in the area to ensure public safety and minimize disruption and manage traffic issues,” he added.

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We apologize, but this video failed to load. Durham Regional Police similarly braced for a massive influx of bikers this weekend as the Hells Angels converge on Brooklyn for their annual Canada Run — a mandatory ride and party for club members and associates. But Baptiste said the Toronto rally will be nothing like the Brooklyn rally. “There is a significant difference between what is known to be planned for the weekend events in Durham Region and what we believe will happen tomorrow in the city,” he said. “We believe tomorrow is a memorial procession that will go to a property on Carlaw Avenue and then leave the city of Toronto.” The memorial is for Donny Petersen, longtime president of the club’s Toronto chapter and author, who died at his home in Oshawa in December 2021. He was 74. [email protected] On Twitter: @sundoucette

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