OLD ORCHARD BEACH, Maine (AP) — Federal agents attempting to arrest two members of the Outlaws motorcycle gang as part of a seven-state sweep shot and killed one of them in an early morning gunfight Tuesday.

More than two dozen Outlaws gang members across the country were charged Tuesday in Virginia for their roles in violent crimes aimed at gaining the upper hand over rival gangs, officials said.

A SWAT team from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives was fired upon at about 6 a.m. while attempting to execute arrest and search warrants at a home in this beachside community 10 miles south of Portland, authorities said.

The SWAT team was used because the ATF viewed the suspects as being part of a “violent criminal enterprise,” said Glenn N. Anderson, ATF special agent in charge of the Boston office. He said the agents were fired at when they arrived.

Agents were trying to arrest Thomas “Tomcat” Mayne, 59, the regional treasurer for the Outlaws, on a federal warrant and Kenneth Chretian on a state warrant, according to ATF spokesman Michael Campbell. The Portland Press Herald is reporting that Mayne is the one who died in the gunfight.

Two women were also in the house, but nobody else was injured in the shootout, according to the Maine attorney general’s office. Agents found a shotgun and a handgun inside the house after the shooting, authorities said.

Mayne was one of 27 members and associates of the American Outlaw Association motorcycle gang charged in the indictment unsealed Tuesday. A federal grand jury in Richmond, Va., charged many of the defendants with racketeering for allegedly participating in a criminal enterprise involved in attempted murder, kidnapping, extortion, illegal gambling and drug dealing.

In Milwaukee, ATF agents served a search warrant at the American Outlaw Association headquarters, a foreboding black building adorned with red-eyed skulls over crossed pistons and a sign showing an extended middle finger. Arrested there was Jack Rosga, whom federal officials described as the group’s national president. The agents also carried out a number of boxes, plastic bags and file folders.

Defendants are from Wisconsin, Maine, Montana, North Carolina, Tennessee, South Carolina and Virginia. Court records did not indicate that any of them had retained attorneys.

The indictment alleges the Outlaws were engaged in violent activities to expand their influence and gain control against rival motorcycle gangs, including the Hell’s Angels.

One charge in the indictment alleges that Rosga allegedly directed gang members to retaliate against the Hell’s Angels for an attack on Outlaws members, resulting in an alleged murder attempt in Canaan, Maine.

Despite the shooting, there was no cause for alarm for either residents or tourists visiting Old Orchard Beach, said Police Chief Dana Kelley. He declined to comment on the motorcycle gang’s presence in the town.

___

Associated Press reporters Dinesh Ramde in Milwaukee and Larry O’Dell in Richmond, Va., contributed to this report.

___

Online:

http://www.outlawsmc.com/home.html