Killer Beez riders leave the Manukau Memorial Gardens cemetery after the tangi of a dirt biker killed in Auckland. Video / George Block
Police are monitoring a large turnout of members of the Killer Beez street gang in South Auckland today, as a funeral is held for a dirt bike rider who died this week.
South Auckland’s dirt bikers stayed away from the tangi, but about 30 riders on large Harley-Davidsons turned out for the service and burial at Manukau Memorial Gardens.
It is believed the heavy police presence at a checkpoint near the cemetery entrance kept the dirt bikers away.
A police custody van was parked up the road from the checkpoint and several officers were stationed around the checkpoint photographing those leaving.
After the burial, a convoy of cars followed by 30 patched Killer Beez riders on bikes left the cemetery via the checkpoint on Puhini Rd.
A heavy police presence as the Killer Beez riders leave the Manukau Memorial Gardens cemetery. Photo / Jason Oxenham
Police said this morning that they will be monitoring gang movements relating to the tangi.
“We have set clear expectations around the behaviour of those involved. They have been advised that Police will have no tolerance for driving behaviour that puts other road users at risk.”
The police statement does not specify the gang involved. But the Herald understands there is a connection with members of the Killer Beez.
Killer Beez riders leave the Manukau Memorial Gardens cemetery after the tangi of a dirt biker killed in Auckland. Photo / Jason Oxenham
A checkpoint will also be held at the entrance of the cemetery where the rider is set to be laid to rest - the Manukau Memorial Gardens on Puhinui Rd, Wiri.
“Police will be filming any unlawful behaviour and we will be conducting a checkpoint at the entrance to the cemetery with a view to dealing with those who have been riding unlawfully.”
Emergency services were called to the scene of the incident in Clover Park, South Auckland, after two vehicles - a car and a dirt bike - collided.
The incident happened at the intersection of Te Irirangi Drive and Hollyford Drive and left the motorcyclist in a critical condition at the time.
Photos from the scene showed a dirt bike lying abandoned.
Police at the scene of the crash. Photo / Hayden Woodward
Cone markers were scattered across the road as the Serious Crash Unit investigated the incident. A silver sedan showed a sign of the bike’s impact.
“We extend our condolences to their family at this difficult time,” police said in a statement at the time.
The crash was, according to police, an example of “reckless motorbike activity” as officers carried out a sting operation to stamp out dangerous dirt bike behaviour over the long weekend.
Police announced they would be cracking down on illegal dirt bike riding on the Friday prior to the crash, launching Operation Metallic Red which was deployed across the Counties Manukau district.
As a result, local schools were closed - as were some shops and transport services. A main highway was also shut off as gang members took part in a funeral procession on State Highway 2.
A funeral procession for murdered Mongrel Mob leader Steven Taiatini this week. Photo / Andrew Warner
That has sparked some talk among members of the public for the Police to take back control over gangs.
The Killer Beez started out as a South Auckland youth street gang more than two decades ago, serving as a feeder group to the Tribesmen Motorcycle Club.
But the KBZ has become a force in their own right, with older members donning patches and becoming involved in significant organised criminal activity.
Relations between the clubs have soured in recent years, following the shooting of Killer Beez president Josh Masters by his former close friend, Tribesmen sergeant-at-arms Okusitino Tae.
Police apprehended a gang of dirt bike riders at the Otara Creek Reserve near East Tamaki earlier this month. Photo / Dean Purcell
Since then, tensions between the gangs, whose heartland is Otara, have repeatedly boiled over into public conflicts characterised by shootings of houses and torching of cars in Auckland and sometimes Kaikohe, where the gangs both have a presence.
The gang also has strong links to the illegal dirt bike riding scene, where young men tear around South Auckland on high-powered off-road motorcycles.
Many are experts on the bikes, with skills akin to motocross riders. But their actions have been widely criticised by authorities and the public alike.
The riders chase social media clout on social media site TikTok via the hashtag #bikelife.
