Defense attorneys argue proposed testimony could unfairly prejudice jurors
An expert in the motorcycle club and biker culture may have an opportunity to take the stand in the shooting case involving members of the Pagans Motorcycle Club
Prosecutors in Montgomery County want a federal expert to testify about the culture and structure of outlaw motorcycle gangs when nine alleged members of the Pagans motorcycle club stand trial in connection with a shooting outside a West Norriton Wawa last year.
The unusual request surfaced during pretrial hearings this week ahead of the defendants’ scheduled May 18 trial, according to The Mercury.
According to court filings, prosecutors want Jeremy Scheetz, an intelligence operations specialist with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, to explain the subculture, hierarchy and values associated with outlaw biker organizations.
Prosecutors argued that jurors may not be familiar with how such groups operate and said expert testimony could help them understand the alleged motivations behind the confrontation that led to violence in the parking lot.
The case centers on a 9:12 p.m. Oct. 17, 2025 altercation outside the Wawa on West Main Street in West Norriton, where authorities allege members of the Pagans confronted two members of the rival Unknown Bikers Motorcycle Gang. The encounter escalated into a shooting that left six people wounded, including two bystanders. Prosecutors claim the Pagans surrounded the rival bikers in an attempt to take their club “colors,” which they say triggered the confrontation.
According to the report, defense attorneys representing several of the nine defendants are pushing back on the proposed expert testimony. Lawyers argued that bringing in a gang expert risks encouraging jurors to judge defendants based on their alleged affiliation rather than their individual actions, according to the article.
Attorneys for defendants Erik Dixon and Manuel "Machete" Baez-Santos have also argued their clients were merely present at the scene and were not directly involved in the violence.
Prosecutors maintain that membership and association within the biker subculture is central to their theory of conspiracy, arguing the group’s collective actions demonstrate shared intent. Judge Risa Vetri Ferman has taken the issue under advisement and is expected to rule before the trial begins, according to the report.
All nine defendants face identical charges connected to the incident, and eight remain jailed on $500,000 cash bail. The joint trial is currently expected to last about four weeks.
Arrested were Dixon, George Cwienk III, 51; Joel Hernandez-Martinez, 36; George Hripto Jr., 50; Jason Lawless, 45, all of Bridgeport; Baez-Santos, 34, of Norristown; Luke Higgins, 29, of Dauberville; Justin Noll, 34, of Reading; and Erik Rosenberger, 46, of East Greenville.
On Friday, October 17, 2025, at 9:12 p.m., West Norriton Township Police were dispatched to the Wawa, 2544 W. Main St., for a reported shooting. The 911 caller said the store manager had locked down the building and had customers hiding in the back area.
A joint investigation by West Norriton Township Police and the Montgomery County Detective Bureau determined the shooting was gang-related and resulted in six people being shot, including two innocent bystanders.
According to the investigation, an adult male was shot in the face while putting air in his vehicle’s tire, and an adult female was shot in the right side of her torso as she stood near the store’s entrance.
One member of the Unknown Bikers Outlaw Motorcycle Club was shot in the left forearm and thigh, authorities said.
Detectives used surveillance video, eyewitness accounts, and other evidence to piece together the events. Video showed two Unknown Bikers members arriving at 9:08 p.m. to refuel when nine Pagans arrived together at 9:10 p.m.
“Some of the Pagans surrounded the opposing gang members, while other Pagans positioned themselves to block any escape,” a release from the District Attorney stated. “Almost immediately, a physical altercation ensued … Video shows Pagan gang members tactically moving through the area and taking a shooting platform stance.”
One minute later, gunfire erupted, and the Pagans fled the scene toward Norristown. Detectives recovered 14 fired cartridge casings at the scene.
Norristown Police later located four motorcycles and five Pagan gang members traveling eastbound on Main Street. Officers found that Rosenberger, Higgins, Cwienk, Hernandez-Martinez, and Noll had all been shot and were transported to area hospitals.
The investigation involved the Montgomery County Detective Bureau’s Violent Crime Unit, the District Attorney’s Gun Violence Reduction Task Force, and police from West Norriton, Upper Merion, Norristown, Bridgeport, the Pennsylvania State Police, and the Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General’s Gun Violence Task Force.
For more details on the case and prior developments, read more here.
All suspects and defendants are innocent until proven guilty. This story was compiled using public court records.
