On Feb. 23, during a Hell Raisers Ball held at the Vanderbilt Catering Hall, located at 1600 Round Swamp Road in Plainview, a confrontation occurred between a group of Pagans and Hells Angels, two rival motorcycle clubs. Nassau County police officers from multiple precincts and Bureau of Special Operations together with 20 New York State Troopers and 50 Suffolk County police officers responded to the scene. The incident occurred at approximately 4:10 p.m.

According to Detective Lieutenant Kevin Smith, in the parking lot outside the Vanderbilt, police officers stopped a Chevrolet van with 10 subjects inside. One of the subjects, a 51-year-old resident of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, had a serious gunshot wound which resulted in fatality. The homicide squad is continuing their investigations.

At the south end of the parking lot, officers arrested 30 individuals for various weapons charges. Police officers discovered two individuals with gunshot wounds and arrested 17 individuals for assorted weapons charges.

Police officers stopped a white Bronco and arrested two individuals with loaded guns in the vicinity of Janet Drive and Old Country Road. In front of 1425 Old Country Road, near Newton Road, police officers stopped a van with four subjects. One subject was the victim of a gunshot wound to the back. The subjects were arrested for weapons charges. A loaded Uzi with two loaded magazines and a dagger were recovered from the van. The injured were taken to area hospitals. Two shotguns were recovered from areas in and around the Vanderbilt.

Nassau County police officers and detectives conducted over 500 interviews with assistance from members of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and other police agencies.

The day after the incident, the homicide squad reported that they arrested a 38-year-old Oceanside resident, in connection with the fatal shooting. The victim succumbed to his injuries at North Shore University Hospital in Plainview. The defendant has been charged with second degree murder.