A brutal hammer-fueled brawl outside a Cumberland County Dairy Queen has landed two Hells Angels in federal prison, closing one chapter of a sprawling racketeering case that has rattled parts of Fayetteville and beyond.
Jason Lee Hathaway was sentenced to 51 months on June 10, 2026, and David Lee Woodall received 57 months on June 12, 2026. The confrontation on July 22, 2023, left multiple people injured, damaged several vehicles and ended when a rival club member fired a shot that killed one Hells Angels member.
What Happened at the Dairy Queen
According to a Department of Justice press release, the trouble started when Hathaway rode his motorcycle into the Dairy Queen parking lot and confronted three members of the Pagan Motorcycle Club while armed with a hammer. Prosecutors say he threatened the three men and shattered vehicle glass during the attack.
Hathaway then called for backup, and other Hells Angels members, including Woodall, rushed in, prosecutors said. The group attacked the Pagan Motorcycle Club members with hammers, brass knuckles and their fists until a Pagan member fired a single shot that killed one Hells Angels member. Several bystanders' vehicles were also caught in the chaos and damaged.
Sentencing and Prosecution
Hathaway and Woodall had earlier pleaded guilty to attempted murder in aid of racketeering. Their federal prison terms were announced after court hearings this week, according to reporting by the Tampa Free Press.
The case was prosecuted by Deputy Chief Kelly Pearson and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Casey Peaden and Charity Wilson. Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva and U.S. Attorney W. Ellis Boyle announced the sentences.
Broader Racketeering Probe
The Dairy Queen case is one piece of a larger federal investigation that produced an indictment charging 16 members of the Hells Angels and their support club, the Red Devils, with murder, attempted murder and other racketeering-related counts, according to a U.S. Attorney's Office press release.
Prosecutors say the Red Devils function as a feeder club and that Hells Angels members had a standing order to attack members of the rival Pagan Motorcycle Club. Many of the charges were brought under the Violent Crime in Aid of Racketeering statute, often shortened to VICAR.
Courtroom Video and Community Impact
Local reporting and court filings have highlighted security-camera footage of the July 2023 brawl and have tracked the broader investigation as it moves through federal court. Prosecutors have leaned on that video along with witness testimony to support racketeering and violent-crime charges, according to WRAL.
Officials said the episode sparked concern in Cumberland County because it played out in a public parking lot during the day, involved weapons and left unrelated vehicles damaged.
Legal Context
The VICAR statute used in the case allows federal prosecutors to connect specific violent acts to an organized criminal enterprise, which can significantly increase potential penalties. Murder in aid of racketeering, for example, can carry a possible life sentence.
Multiple defendants from the same investigation remain under indictment on a range of racketeering-related charges. Prosecutors have described the sentences for Hathaway and Woodall as one step in a longer-running federal effort.
Where It Stands Now
Federal authorities, including the ATF and local police, continue to pursue related charges tied to the wider probe, and several co-defendants still face trial or pretrial proceedings in the Eastern District of North Carolina. Hoodline previously covered the indictment in October 2024; see 16 Hells Angels Charged.
