Outlaw Biker Gang Brutally Beats Black Man in Fort Wayne Bar Over Alleged Tab, Groping Claim

FORT WAYNE, IN — What started as a night out turned into a violent nightmare for 29-year-old Darnell Rivers, a Black man brutally attacked by a group of outlaw bikers inside a Fort Wayne dive bar late Saturday night. The gang—affiliated with a known 1%er motorcycle club—descended on Rivers following an alleged dispute over an unpaid tab and an unconfirmed accusation that he had groped one of the bikers’ girlfriends.

Bar surveillance footage, now circulating online, shows Rivers being surrounded, shoved, then viciously punched and kicked as he tried to leave the establishment. Witnesses say the attack was swift, coordinated, and savage. One man smashed a pool cue across Rivers’ back while another shouted racial slurs during the assault.

“They were looking for a reason,” said a bartender who requested anonymity out of fear of retaliation. “It felt like they just wanted to put hands on someone, and Darnell was the only Black guy in the bar.”

Rivers was taken to a nearby hospital with broken ribs, a fractured orbital bone, and severe bruising. His attorney, Kendra Wells, confirmed that he will be filing a civil suit against the bar for negligence, citing failure to intervene and prior knowledge of the gang’s frequent, intimidating presence at the establishment.

“It’s clear this wasn’t just about a bar tab or some made-up story about his behavior,” Wells said. “This was a racially charged attack, plain and simple.”

Despite the bar being equipped with cameras and multiple witnesses present, Fort Wayne Police have yet to make any arrests. A spokesperson for the department said they are “actively investigating” but declined to comment on whether any hate crime charges were being considered.

The alleged groping incident, which sparked the violence according to the bikers, has not been corroborated. No official complaint was filed by the woman involved, and Rivers maintains he never interacted with her beyond standing near the bar.

“This is what happens when people believe stereotypes before facts,” said Rev. Malcolm Tate of the local chapter of the NAACP. “We’re watching—again—as Black bodies are brutalized, and excuses are made after the fact to justify it.”

Local activists have already planned a rally outside the bar for Friday evening, demanding justice, transparency from the police department, and charges against the attackers. “You don’t get to stomp a man within inches of his life and walk away because you’ve got patches on your back,” said community organizer Jalia Brooks.

This incident comes amid rising concern over racially motivated violence in small and mid-sized American cities—places often overlooked until blood hits the floor and cell phone footage goes viral.

As Darnell Rivers recovers in silence, his story becomes yet another page in America’s long, unfinished chapter of racial violence—one that too often begins with a lie and ends in a hospital bed.

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