KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — A recent altercation and police pursuit in Claiborne County involving riders connected to an outlaw motorcycle club renewed concerns about biker groups in East Tennessee.
While incidents like that are rare, they often raise broader questions about motorcycle clubs in East Tennessee including how common they are and what they’re really about. Former FBI agent Scott Payne said most riders are not the problem.
“99% of motorcycle riders are good, law-abiding citizens,” Payne said. “It’s just the 1% that are rowdy and breaking the law.”
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Federal agencies often used the term 1 percenters to describe a small subset of outlaw motorcycle gangs, a label that dates back decades. Experts say the vast majority of motorcycle clubs in Tennessee are legal riding groups…