Officers' actions justified during Texas biker gang fight, police chief says

WACO, Texas, June 12 (UPI) -- Police officers who opened fire during a restaurant brawl among biker gangs in Texas last month acted appropriately in that situation, the Waco, Texas police chief said Friday.

Nine people were killed and twice that many were wounded in the May 17 shooting, after the gang members began a fight that spilled outside a restaurant and into the street.

More than a dozen police officers who were nearby responded to the melee -- firing at least 12 rounds, chief Brent Stroman said Friday.

"We did not fire indiscriminately into the crowd. Our officers were restrained. They were courageous in what they did," he said.

Critics have stated a belief that the 16 officers used excessive force during the incident -- but Chief Stroman said the opposite is actually true, positing that things would have gotten worse without the officers' intervention.

During a Friday news conference, Chief Stroman also said a vast cache of weapons were recovered from the scene near the Twin Peaks restaurant.

"The weapon count at this point in time is at least 475 ... this includes 151 firearms -- 12 of which were long guns," he said. "The weapons recovered include: knives, brass knuckles, batons, tomahawks, weighted weapons, a hatchet, stun guns, bats, clubs, a machete, a pipe, an ax, pepper spray, and a chain."

In addition to the weapons, Waco police also impounded more than 200 vehicles.

"We initially impounded 130 motorcycles and 91 other vehicles," Chief Stroman said. "We have recovered over 1000 pieces of evidence from the crime scene."

Also, the chief said, 177 people were arrested and jailed after the incident. As of Friday, 62 remain there.

Authorities said the weapons seized would be sent to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives for analysis. Three officers involved in the altercation have been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation.