Numerous police and international intelligence and enforcement agencies classify the Rock Machine Motorcycle Club as a motorcycle gang and contend that members carry out widespread violent crimes, including drug dealing, trafficking in stolen goods, gunrunning, extortion, and prostitution operations. Members of the organization have continuously asserted that they are only a group of motorcycle enthusiasts who have joined to ride motorcycles together, to organize social events such as group road trips, fundraisers, parties, and motorcycle rallies, and that any crimes are the responsibility of the individuals who carried them out and not the club as a whole. Members of the club have been accused of crimes and/or convicted in many host nations.
Canada
Alberta
On December 14, 2010, Andrew "Blaklistid" Block, a member of the Rock Machine's Edmonton chapter, was shot and killed. His body was found by Edmonton Police at the corner of 127 St. and 116 Ave, located in the suburb of Inglewood. He had been shot in the head while behind the wheel of his pickup truck. The bullet had entered the back windshield of the vehicle, passed through the headrest and hit the victim. A post was made on WWW.RockMachine.ca by the club that extended their official condolences to his family and honoring his memory. Another post was also made by the Rock Machine Nova Scotia. One member wrote on the site's guest book.
It is with heavy hearts that all of the Nova Scotia Rock Machine Full Patches, prospects, hangarounds, and supporters send our thoughts, prayers and condolences for the loss of Brother Andy Rock. He was taken from us too soon. Ride on and rest in peace, brother.
British Columbia
In March 2014, it was revealed by police and media in British Columbia, that members of the Rock Machine Nomads Canada chapter, had arrived in B.C. They had been sighted in province's lower mainland. They stated that this wasn't a shock, as they had heard "rumblings since 2005 that Rock Machine members wanted to break into B.C." He also claimed that "potential members wearing Rock Machine support gear have been threatened recently." They went on to state that this brought a moderate amount of concern due to the groups violent history with one another. They had faced each other during the bloody Quebec Biker War (1994–2002) that took the lives of over 160 people, injured over 180, with over 300 attempted assassinations.
The Rock Machine and its support clubs, the Vendettas Motorcycle Club, Hell Hounds MC and SS Elite Motorcycle Club had also clashed with the Hells Angels and their support club the Redline Motorcycle Club for control of Manitoba from 2009 to 2011. The conflict saw a combination of shootings and fire bombings. The officer stated "That is how they look after those sorts of conflicts, and the car bomb was one of the most effective tools they used back in Quebec. So my point is that it is not a stretch to see the Quebec-like response here in B.C., because they have done it before." Police were interviewed by The Province News, they had also interviewed an associate or member of the Rock Machine that stated that the club planned on setting up a full chapter in Vancouver, British Columbia within the next year. The officer commented that this would be difficult as the Hells Angels owned the province and would not take lightly to their presence without their permission. However he did also state that "The war [in Manitoba] has been quiet in the past few months, but the rivalry is still existent and it appears the Rock Machine outlaw motorcycle gang are still intent on expanding their presence here and across Canada," authorities stated in 2012, according to the Winnipeg Sun.
It was assumed the Rock Machine Motorcycle Club had solid plans to challenge the Hells Angels in B.C. It could have been due to a perceived "power vacuum", due to the continued gang conflicts in the province. "It is my view that with all of the gang killings around the region in the recent years and with law enforcement that has been very effective with some massive prosecutions, ... there is a void that is out there to be filled", the police biker club expert told The Province News. He also stated they had a long way to go, as the Hells Angels possessed around 100 Full Patch members in the province at the time, and that it would take them quite a while to set up an operation here with the ability to challenge the Angels. The Rock Machine would establish its Vancouver chapter, this could have been with permission from the Angels, as there has been no conflict in the province as of yet. However members of the Rock Machine British Columbia were arrested at the Chez Pare in 2011, a famous downtown strip club in Montreal. Quebec police had detained them while meeting with Rock Machine members from Ontario, Manitoba and Quebec, showing that they had been active in the province for much longer than sources thought.
Nova Scotia During late 2008, the Rock Machine established its Halifax chapter in Nova Scotia. Several outlaw motorcycle clubs are attracted to the province by the ports in Halifax and Sydney. RCMP Constable Stephen MacQueen stated that Rock Machine and other motorcycle club chapters in these cities, can be used as a pipeline to smuggle narcotics into Canada. The Rock Machine temporarily froze their Halifax chapter for an unknown reason in February 2010, according to MacQueen. One month prior, the Bacchus Motorcycle Club had re-entered the province by patching over the East Coast Riders in Hants County. Just weeks following the ceremony, new Bacchus member, James "Rustie" Hall and Ellen Hall, were shot and killed in their residence in Barr Settlement, Hants County. No one was ever arrested for the murders.
Const. MacQueen stated that the East Coast Riders chose to join Bacchus. Seeing it as a preferable option, when compared to other Hells Angels rivals, like the Rock Machine and Outlaws Motorcycle Club, that were looking to expand their influence in the province. By October 2010, the Rock Machine had unfrozen its Halifax chapter and supposedly established a second chapter in Cape Breton. According to Const. MacQueen, "There's indication on the Rock Machine website that they've reopened in Nova Scotia. We haven't seen that yet [physically]." There main rival the Hells Angels official presence in Nova Scotia, was ended by raids on its Halifax chapter in August 2003. However it maintains influence in the province through its support clubs, the Darksiders MC and Highlanders MC. All of this ongoing tension had the RCMP in the province quite fearful of conflict between these groups. The Rock Machine's presence in the province would be confirmed with a statement from the Nova Scotia Rock Machine during the death of a member of the club from Edmonton, Alberta in mid December 2010. It is not known what occurred but at some period during the mid to late 2010s, the Rock Machine froze its chapters in Nova Scotia.
Manitoba In 2008, a series of raids carried out by Winnipeg Police and Manitoba RCMP left the Hells Angels in the province all but crippled. The Rock Machine Motorcycle Club was seeking to expand west during this period, The Rock Machine were first sighted in Manitoba during mid 2008. Four members of the Nomads Canada chapter were present at a hotel on Notre Dame Avenue hotel. An RCMP representative claimed the Rock Machine "graciously thanked law enforcement for handing them the province". They quickly gained momentum in Manitoba becoming the dominant club in Winnipeg. This was all possible due police activities in early December 2008. Operation Divide was conducted by Manitoba police, it led to the arrests of 30 members of the Hells Angels and their support club, the Zig Zag Crew. A few Hells Angels were sent to prison along with most of the Zig Zag Crew. This is what would cause the Hells Angels to start relying more on another support club, the Redlined Motorcycle Club, to take over the responsibility of the Zig Zags in Manitoba. Documents from the trial claimed that with the Angels influence currently at a low level in the province, the Rock Machine were beginning to lay territorial claims. They also began openly displaying their colours in public, this caused retaliation from the Manitoba Angels. The Rock Machine in Manitoba was further reinforced by several former members of the now defunct Zig Zag Crew. Most notably Jean Paul Beaumont, the future "Sergeant-at-Arms" for the Rock Machine Winnipeg chapter. And Future National and international president, Joseph "Critical J" Strachan.
In January 2009, the Vendettas Motorcycle Club was established as a support club by the Rock Machine, this was done to give them more manpower in the province. In 2009, what would come to be known as the Rock Machine-Hells Angels Conflict in Manitoba began. It saw clashes start between the Rock Machine supported by the Vendettas Motorcycle Club and the Hells Angels and their support club, the Redlined MC. Several attacks on Rock Machine properties occurred with no casualties or initial retaliation in 2009.
"Tensions are extremely high between these groups and violence is imminent", investigators said. "Members of the Redlined … and Hells Angels supporters have been placed on high alert and have been tasked with actively seeking out and Rock Machine [members] or Rock Machine associates and to "take care" of them by any means necessary."
In mid January 2010, the officially conflict started. A member of the Rock Machine Winnipeg chapter, Corey Cadotte, was hit with a stool multiple times and jumped by several men belonging to the Redlined MC. He had been baited into a meeting at an automotive shop on St. Mary's Road and had gone alone. He had formerly been a member of the Zig Zag Crew, but he had patched over to the Rock Machine following the raids, this infuriated his former allies. He received such bad injuries from the stool that he was nearly "unrecognizable."
The Rock Machine were furious and ordered the Vendettas Crew to retaliate. Not long after the beating an arson occurred, when a flare gun was shot through the window of a home on Mighton Avenue, in Winnipeg Manitoba. The property belonged to a member of the Redlined MC. The police fearing retaliation had received a search warrant to search the building. This was due to information received from an informant the police had within the Redlined MC, identified only as "X" in court documents. He stated "because of the ongoing dispute between the two gangs. He needs to have it [the gun] ready in case of any retaliation by members or associates of the Rock Machine." But the building had already been damaged by the flare when they arrived. They arrested a member of the Redlined and seized a loaded nine millimetre handgun from the burnt out building. The Vendettas are suspected by authorities of being behind the incident. As authorities state the member of the Redlined had been one of those who were present when the Rock Machine member was beaten at the body shop.
On Sunday, February 7, 2010, Winnipeg Police revealed that the Rock Machine and Hells Angels got into a brawl at a bar inside a St. Boniface hotel. They had been monitoring the hotel the night before as they had received information that the Rock Machine was going to arrive at the bar because "They knew associates of the Hells Angels frequented the place." Unfortunately for authorities nothing happened on Saturday. The authorities also reported that they feared an escalation. This was due to the sighting of a number of Rock Machine members from outside the province of Manitoba over the past week.
On June 14, 2011, three assumed members of the Rock Machine or Vendettas were sighted fleeing the scene of a firebombing against a Hells Angels business on Logan Avenue. The arson would cause $20,000 in damages. Later information from a police informant linked some employees as being associated to the Hells Angels.