Daytona Beach man killed in shootout between two biker clubs had mixed past
A Daytona Beach motorcyclist who was killed during a shootout between biker clubs in Georgia was described by his business partner as a successful entrepreneur. But the biker’s background also revealed some clashes with the law.
Germayne Farrell, 51, was one of two Thug Riders Motorcycle Club members fatally shot on May 13 in east Augusta, Georgia. The other was Keith Coates, 30, of Valdosta, Georgia.
Three other Thug Riders from Georgia were shot, as well as Kenneth Taylor, 43, an Outcast Motorcycle Club member from Boynton Beach.
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Who was Germayne Farrell?
Farrell ran Farrell Tax Services at 847 Orange Ave. in Daytona Beach.
He also published a book in 2017 titled “The IRS is Not the ‘Big Bad Wolf.’” The 56-page paperback was available on Amazon for $9.99.
Farrell was also charged in 2017 with theft of sales tax and failure to file six consecutive returns as required by state law, both felonies. He was placed on 12 months probation and adjudication was withheld, meaning it would not go down as a conviction on his record.
Farrell’s business partner, Alvin Bell, said Farrell was a smart man.
“He was a businessman, an entrepreneur, he helped a lot of people out,” Bell said.
Bell said that he and Farrell planned to open the doors to a "restaurant" called Unk’s Place on May 16, three days after the shooting. He said it will no longer open.
Bell said Farrell did not talk to him about the motorcycle club.
Farrell’s Facebook page showed a post from May 10 announcing a “biker party” with food, drinks, cigars and hookah on the night of May 16 at Unk’s Place, 707 International Speedway.
Three days after announcing the party, Farrell was dead.
Another post showed a man wearing a helmet and visor riding a motorcycle. The camera was apparently mounted so that it pointed at the rider.
Guilty of illegal gun possession
Farrell was adjudicated guilty in 2007 in Volusia County of being a felon in possession of a handgun. He was sentenced to one year and nine months in state prison and released in March 2011.
Farrell was also charged with domestic violence in May 2017 when he lived with his girlfriend in Palm Coast. Farrell entered a no-contest plea to a reduced charge of disorderly conduct and adjudication was withheld.
His girlfriend declined to comment when reached by The News-Journal.
Farrell also took legal action in 2022 against the Daytona Beach Police Department and Daytona Wrecker Services, accusing the department of unlawfully towing 11 of his vehicles on May 9, 2022.
The petition states that Farrell purchased the vehicles through another of his businesses, BF Auto Sales, and was in the process of selling them to a dealership in Jacksonville.
On May 11, the clerk's office filed a notice that the case could be dismissed within 60 days because no activity had occurred in the case for 10 months.
Farrell would die two days later.
Shootout between the Thug Riders and Outcasts
On the night of the shootout, the Thug Riders traveled to the Outcast Motorcycle Club's clubhouse in east Augusta to retaliate for an incident in Florida, according to the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office. The sheriff's office declined to provide additional information citing the ongoing investigation.
Farrell had already been pronounced dead by a gunshot wound when a first responder vehicle leaving the scene struck and dragged his body 51 feet, according to a report. The driver was responding to a call about an injured person.
The driver said the hood and fender obscured his vision and he misjudged the location of Farrell’s body, which was face down in the parking lot.
“I feel emotionally for that fire personnel what they are going through, but it was an unfortunate accident,” Sheriff Richard Roundtree said during a press conference after the incident.
Eight Thug Riders and four Outcast members are facing charges, the sheriff said.
Deputies seized 13 motorcycles and one vehicle and recovered 10 guns from the clubhouse or vehicles or near vehicles.
More than 150 rounds were fired.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Florida man killed in biker club shootout in Georgia had mixed past
