Tuesday, December 05, 2006

B.C. man robbed bank to start Okanagan gang: FBI

CBC NEWS
The FBI has levelled new allegations against the B.C. man accused of masterminding an elaborate bank heist near Seattle, saying he planned to use the proceeds to establish a gang in the Okanagan. Luke Sommer is alleged to be the ringleader of the group of five men — who were all members of an elite U.S. Army Ranger unit — accused of storming a Bank of America branch in Tacoma, Wash., in the summer. Armed with AK-47 assault rifles, the masked men were in and out in less than three minutes and escaped with more than $50,000 US, according to court records. The 20-year-old Sommer, who has dual Canadian-U.S. citizenship, saw combat in Iraq in 2004 and in Afghanistan in 2005. When he wasn't serving in the army unit based in Fort Lewis, Wash., Sommer lived in Peachland, a small community south of Kelowna in the Okanagan Valley. FBI special agent Monte Shaide said another suspect in the case had revealed Sommer's motivation.
"Sommer planned to challenge the Hells Angels for control of the drug running and extortion rackets in that area," -------

The RCMP in Kelowna said they have not been made aware of any plan to take on the Hells Angels, and that it's unlikely that such a small group could challenge them successfully.

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