In a tragic culmination of what appears to be gang-related violence, the Phoenix Police Department has been piecing together a deadly incident involving rival motorcycle groups. The confrontation, which occurred on Nov. 28 near a downtown Phoenix freeway ramp, ended with two fatalities and has now led to multiple arrests.
Details on the incident were sparse until Michael Shane Zavala, 50, was extradited to Arizona from South Carolina and booked into jail on murder and robbery charges yesterday, Jan. 1, as reported by FOX 10 Phoenix. Authorities now state the confrontation between the Vagos and Rock Machine motorcycle clubs escalated at a traffic stop, resulting in gunfire and a vehicular assault leading to two deaths: 53-year-old Job Martinez and 36-year-old Scott Kikes. According to azfamily.com, Martinez, the president of the Vagos’ Phoenix chapter, was involved in a physical altercation and subsequently run over by a vehicle driven by Zavala. Kikes, identified as a member of the “Rock Machine” biker gang, succumbed to gunshot wounds inflicted during the altercation.
Showcasing the complicated nature of gang dynamics, surveillance of a supposed gang rivalry has unveiled a deeper context to the violence. The Rock Machine members apparently were on their way to a sports bar when they encountered Martinez and another unidentified biker, prompting them to reverse course and pursue. Court documents indicated a physical struggle ensued in which Kikes forcibly removed part of Martinez’s vest. Shortly after, Martinez fired his weapon, resulting in Kikes’ fatal injury. A bystander captured the chaotic scene in a viral TikTok video, subsequently used as digital evidence in the investigation…