Real Sons of Anarchy





Rusty Coones Hells Angels-688x344
Rusty Coones Hells Angels


Born Howard Irvine Coones, but better known to almost all as “Rusty”, he grew up in the Sacramento area of California. At 6 foot 5 inches he makes for an imposing figure.

In the 1980s his brother, a heroin addict, died. In response he opened First Step Treatment Centers Inc., rehabilitation centers which were based in Laguna Beach, California and Fontana, California. The business closed down in 1995 after a change to government subsidies.

He met his wife, Katherine Coones, in the second half of the 1980s. He has a son and daughter.
His friends include celebrity bike builder Jesse James. In mid 2015 it was announced that he would take part in a television series with Orange County Choppers, named OCC American Xtreme. This was later renamed to Orange County Choppers: American Made.


Rusty Coones Hells Angels – Club Involvement




Founder and former President of the Hells Angels Orange County chapter in 1997. He is no longer a member of this chapter. President of the Hells Angels San Fernando Valley chapter.


Rusty Coones Hells Angels – Sons of Anarchy

In the television show Sons of Anarchy Rusty Coones plays the character of Rane Quinn. He met the shows creator, Kurt Sutter, on a Hells Angels MC toy run in the San Fernando Valley.


Rane Quinn is the President of the Nomads chapter and in season 2 brings in “Happy Lowman” to the chapter, who is played by Hells Angels member David Labrava. Happy later leaves the Nomads chapter in season 3.


In season 5 the Nomads chapter disbands after multiple members are revealed as traitors, leaving him to transfer to the Sons of Anarchy Indian Hills chapter.


Season 6 sees Rane Quinn transfer to the main chapter that is focussed on in the show, SAMCRO (Sons of Anarchy Motorcycle Club Redwood Originals).


His character commits three murders in the show. Firstly the True IRA (True Irish Republication Army) member Neil, who he shot in the head. The second murder is of an East Dub member who he shot and the third a member of the Lin Triad, who he shot in the chest.


Also appearing at times on the show are Hells Angels members David LabravaChuck Zito and Sonny Barger (who played Lenny the Pimp).
David Labrava Hells Angels Sons of Anarchy
David Labrava Hells Angels Sons of Anarchy

Rusty Coones Hells Angels – Illusion Motorsports

He is the owner of custom motorcycle builder Illusion Motorsports, together with Rodrigo Requejo. He purchased the business in 1998 and they are located in Westminster, California.
His customers include the creator of Sons of Anarchy, Kurt Sutter.
Rusty Coones Hells Angels Illusion Motorsports
Illusion Motorsports

Rusty Coones Hells Angels – Crime

1982 – Found guilty of drug and illegal firearm charges. Sent to prison and served two years.


1991 – House raided by law enforcement on the belief that he had a significant amount of drugs and weapons. Nothing was found in the raid.


1999 – 6 June, 1999. One of 15 people arrested as part of a large drug operation against the Hells Angels where it was claimed that they were making over $1 million per week under the control of drug kingpin John Ward. Pled guilty with no defence to a single count of conspiracy for providing just over 100 pounds of ephedrine, which is a key ingredient for making methamphetamine. He is sentenced to 8 years and one month in prison.


During his time in prison a “Free Rusty” movement begins, which included setting up the website FreeRusty.com (which no longer exists) which sold t-shirts in order to support his defence fund. Celebrity bike builder and friend Jesse James was seen wearing a Free Rusty t-shirt on multiple occasions.
Rusty Coones Hells Angels Free Rusty
Free Rusty
2004 – 27 December, 2004. He is released from prison. Waiting for him upon his release is a gift from bike builder Jesse James, a custom bike.


2014 – 25 April, 2014. Rusty Coones is running a t-shirt stall at the Laughlin River Run Rally in Nevada. There was a member of the Vagos Motorcycle Club running a stall next to his. Although there were no signs of any trouble between the two stalls police had concerns that violence could escalate, so shut them both down. On a historical note, one of the suspected motives of the 2002 Laughlin River Run Riot was a dispute over t-shirt sales between the Hells Angels MC and Vagos MC.
            
 

David Labrava Hells Angels – Early Life

David Labrava was born in Miami, however he was raised in Europe, spending many years in Amsterdam.When he was young he rode dirt bikes, but quickly progressed and bought his first Harley Davidson motorcycle when he was only 17 years of age.



David Labrava Hells Angels – Club Involvement

David Labrava is a member of the Hells Angels Oakland chapter, one of the most famous of the Hells Angels chapters as one of the founding members was Sonny Barger. The Oakland clubhouse is located directly across the road from the tattoo shop that he runs, Evil Ink. See photo of the tattoo store further down in the “Other Business” section.

In 2008 he was on the Hells Angels Annual USA Run when he was arrested for drug possession and misdemeanors (see the “Crime” section further down for more information).
Hells Angels MC Clubhouse Oakland California
Hells Angels MC Clubhouse Oakland California

David Labrava Hells Angels – Sons of Anarchy

David Labrava was originally brought on to the show Sons of Anarchy (SOA) by the the show’s creator, Kurt Sutter, as a technical advisor, as the show wanted to accurately depict the one percenter motorcycle club culture. David Labrava later had a meeting with Kurt Sutter and explained that he also was writer and would like an opportunity to be cast in a role.


David Labrava plays the character “Happy Lowman”, the SOA Happy character is the Sergeant-At-Arms of SAMCRO (Sons of Anarchy Motorcycle Club, California Redwood Original). He was previously in the Tacoma, Washington and Nomad chapters of the Sons of Anarchy Motorcycle Club. In the show he tattoos a happy face on himself every time that he kills a person. In SOA Happy is a fan favourite. He also co-wrote Season 4, Episode 10, “Hands”.


David Labrava Hells Angels – Other Business

Although most people reading this article would know him only from his acting on Sons of Anarchy, overall it would be best to describe David Labrava as a “creative type”, as he has his hand in many of the different arts, and has had so for several decades.


Before joining the Sons of Anarchy show he was a published writer, having written columns in magazines since the 1990s. Some of his credits include a column in the hot rod magazine, Ol Skool Rodz, called “Burnin’ Rubber with Jimmy Carbone“. He also wrote for the Horse Motorcycle magazine.


David Labrava is also a glass artist, has a movie company “Artful Dodger Filmworks” and a clothing lined “DOGKULCHA”, which helps out animal rescue charities. In 2015 he directed his first movie titled “Street Level”.

He previously ran a tattoo shop named Evil Ink in Oakland, California. The tattoo shop is directly across the road from the Hells Angels Oakland charter clubhouse (see photo of the clubhouse further up in this article). It is believed that he may no longer run this shop.
David Labrava Hells Angels Evil Ink Tattoo Oakland
David Labrava Hells Angels Evil Ink Tattoo Oakland

David Labrava Hells Angels – Crime

2008 – August, 2008. While in Missoula County, Montana as part of the annual Hells Angels USA Run, David Labrava was arrested on two felony drug possession charges as well as two misdemeanor charges.

Police were approached by a man who told them that a woman was being held against her will in a hotel room with David Labrava. They went to the hotel room and removed the woman from the room and arrested Labrava.

A search warrant was obtained for the room and cocaine, 1.5 grams of hashish, a small amount of marijuana and a “Death Head” design pipe were sized. He was jailed on $2500 bail.




Hells-Angels-Chuck-Zito-1000x500.jpg

Chuck Zito Hells Angels – Prison


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