US gang members face 'organised crime' charges in brawl after 9 dead

Waco police now said 170 suspected gang members were arrested after a meeting between rival Texas biker gangs at a restaurant turned into a deadly brawl, and many are being charged with engaging in organized crime, ABC News reported on Monday.

Nine people died in the incident -- eight at the Twin Peaks restaurant and one at the hospital, in killings Waco Police Sgt. Patrick Swanton characterized as capital murder "because of the number of victims that were killed in one episode here."

Eighteen people were taken from the scene to hospitals, mostly for gunshot and stab wounds, Swanton said at a news conference. Everyone involved was a gang member, police said.

"This was a true gang fight that occurred at this location,” Swanton said earlier Monday, adding that the people involved were using “bad-guy weapons” such as brass knuckles, knives and guns.