6 alleged biker gang members arrested in connection to Indiana bar beating

(WANE) – Six men have been arrested for their alleged involvement in the now-viral beating at a northeast Indiana bar, including the boyfriend of the bar’s owner.

All six men are allegedly part of the Outlaws Motorcycle Club and were seen wearing Outlaw gear at Pike’s Pub on the night of the attack. The arrests were made within a day of the warrants being issued.

On May 30, a violent beating took place at Pikes Pub just outside of Fort Wayne, a video of which went viral on social media. It showed several white men in Outlaw gear attacking James Simmons – a Black man – with racial slurs heard in the background, leading many to believe the beating was a racially-motivated hate crime.

Justin Wert, a Churubusco man, is charged with criminal recklessness, strangulation and battery resulting in serious injury. He was arrested in Lima, Ohio, according to Sgt. Ken Litzenberg of the Allen County Sheriff’s Department. His arrest was the first reported in connection to the beating.

According to court documents, someone submitted a Crime Stoppers tip identifying Wert as the man who threw the first punch at Simmons and eventually put him in a headlock.

Thursday, court records show 52-year-old Jerrad Wade Impton was booked in the Allen County Jail on two counts of battery resulting in serious bodily injury. Impton is accused of punching Simmons in the back of the head “at the beginning of the battery,” according to court documents.

Later that day, 66-year-old Douglas Robert Zuber was booked in the Allen County Jail on charges of battery resulting in serious injury and criminal recklessness. And according to Allen Superior Court documents, his girlfriend is the owner of the bar.

Zuber claimed Simmons had been “badgering” him for an hour about shutting down the bar for him one night for a private party. Zuber said he kept refusing and telling Simmons to pay his tab and leave the bar. He also claimed Simmons started walking to the door instead of paying, which is when the battery occurred.

But a witness told police Simmons was a regular at the bar and payment was not the issue. “It was never about paying the tab, because he always pays his tab,” the witness said, claiming the bartender was trying to “abuse his authority.”

The viral video showed Zuber in an Outlaw shirt telling Simmons to pay his tab before shoving him back toward the bar, according to the description in court documents. Zuber was also allegedly the person yelling racial slurs that can be heard in the video.

Three more men were also arrested and charged: Ryan Minick, Christopher Yoho and Kent Adamonis.

Minick is accused of standing in Simmons’ way before the assault began. Minick is eventually accused of “jumping in the middle of the battery” and throwing punches, according to the court documents.

Yoho allegedly grabbed Simmons from behind during the attack, ripping off his safety vest, according to court documents. He’s also accused of throwing a chair at Simmons.

Adamonis, the sixth man who was allegedly involved, is accused of punching and kicking Simmons while he was on the ground. But Friday, the state filed a motion to dismiss the charges against Adamonis.

Last week, Simmons spoke out for the first time and said he will be pressing charges against those involved.

Tips to police and through Crime Stoppers poured in, leading to the handful of arrests.

Wert was arrested while delivering materials to a tank plant in Lima, Ohio. Another was taken into custody at his workplace in Huntington County; three more were apprehended at either their workplace or home in Allen County. The final suspect was found hiding at a lake property in Steuben County.

The attack prompted rallies in the community, a petition with over 6,000 signatures so far, and responses from various local officials. Although it took place just outside city limits, Fort Wayne’s mayor and city council addressed the issue; Councilwoman At-Large Michelle Chambers said she is calling on the Indiana Alcohol & Tobacco Commission to review the practices and licensing at Pikes Pub. State Representative Phil GiaQuinta is calling for stronger hate crime laws in the state.

The Allen County Sheriff’s Department said last week the FBI is involved in the investigation. A slew of other agencies have also been involved, including the Allen County Sheriff’s Department, Allen County Adult Probation, Allen County Prosecutor’s Office, Steuben County Sheriff’s Department, New Haven Police Department, Shawnee Township (Ohio) Police Department, Auburn Police Department, Fort Wayne Police Department, Huntington Police Department, Indiana State Police and U.S. Army Military Police Corps (Lima, Ohio).

“This case shows how law enforcement agencies working together can achieve fast and effective results,” Sheriff Troy Hershberger said. “There’s no place for violence like this in our community.”

The sheriff’s department also said the original video has been preserved as evidence and will not be released at this time. Anyone with additional information or footage is encouraged to contact investigators.