Couple Call Being Arrested After Deadly Biker Shootout ‘A Sham'

A Texas husband and wife said they're both outraged and relieved to be out of jail more than two weeks after they were arrested at a Waco restaurant following a deadly biker shootout there.

William English, 33, and his wife Morgan, 30, were among the 177 people arrested after a shootout between biker gangs and police left nine people dead and 18 more injured at a Twin Peaks restaurant May 17. 

William, who said he went to the restaurant for a monthly meeting to talk about Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month, told KCEN-TV in Central Texas the meeting put him in the wrong place at the wrong time.

"This whole thing is a sham," William said. "My wife and I are presumed guilty until innocent, which is not the way our due process should be."

Both were charged with engaging in organized criminal activity, a felony that carries a penalty of 15 years to life in prison, according to their attorney. The couple bonded out of jail 16 days later. 

"I'm kind of upset we had to pay to get out of jail when we did nothing wrong," William said.

When the shooting started, Morgan said she and her husband took cover.

"[William] had me completely shielded and protected," she said.

After the shooting ended, authorities began sorting through the injured and dead at the restaurant. Police then began arresting people and taking them to the McLennan County Jail, which Morgan said was the worst part for her.

"It's just violating, because I had to be searched in front of all these men," she said. "In my head, I'm thinking, 'I did nothing wrong. Why are you treating me the same way as some of these women who committed horrible crimes?'"

The attorney for the Englishes agreed to represent them for free. He had their bail reduced from $1 million to $25,000. Each paid $2,500 to bond out of jail June 1.

"My lawyer came and he said, 'You're getting out,'" Morgan said. "It was the best feeling I'd ever had, because it was just inhumane how we were treated."

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