Hells Angels leader accused of traffic assault against fellow member

apparent dispute over an Evergreen man's wish to drop his affiliation with the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club came close to becoming deadly last week.

A Denver man is now facing felony menacing charges after an arrest for allegations that he tried to run down a member of his motorcycle gang with a truck for quitting the group.

Todd Allan Zahn, 37, of Denver, and the apparent president of the Nomads/Hells Angels chapter, posted a $20,000 bond to get out of jail after his July 12 arrest in which fellow club member Donald Dilling, 52, accused the man of trying to run him down.

"Dilling believes that the motivation for this action is that Zahn was going to attempt to forcibly remove a Hells Angels' tattoo on his chest and then murder him," the affidavit stated.

An Erie police officer driving on Colo. 66 near Weld County Road 17 west of Platteville said he saw a black truck blocking westbound traffic and a man on a motorcycle who appeared to be trying to get away from the truck. The officer stopped to determine the problem.

Dilling, according to a Weld Sheriff's Office affidavit, told the officer Zahn was trying to assault him with his truck, and Zahn sped off. The officer stopped him and waited for a Weld sheriff's deputy to arrive.

Dilling said he was driving his motorcycle west on Colo. 66 when Zahn pulled up alongside him and began shouting at him.

"Zahn is the president of the local Nomads/Hells Angels chapter and is upset at Dilling because he has decided to leave the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club," the affidavit states. "Dilling said Zahn attempted to 'force him off the road.' "

Dilling told the officers he avoided a collision by running into weeds on the side of the road.

Zahn has a long history of driving infractions and was convicted in 2006 for being a previous offender in possession of a weapon. He received 18 months probation and 120 hours of community service.

Zahn and Dilling both were part of a group of Hells Angels motorcycle members who in 2007 sued the Mountain View Police Department, as well as the city and county of Denver, for an unlawful traffic stop in 2005. A Mountain View officer stopped the group of 11 motorcyclists as they rode in formation in Denver, according to the group's lawsuit. The group was held at gunpoint and handcuffed during the stop, in which dozens of officers participated, including the Denver SWAT team and a police helicopter. The lawsuit was eventually dismissed when the parties settled out of court.