NORRISTOWN — Saying a Bridgeport man, a member of the Pagans Outlaw Motorcycle Gang, started a physical altercation with rival bikers in the parking lot of a Wawa in West Norriton Township that ultimately led to gunfire that injured two innocent bystanders, a judge sent him to state prison.
Joel “Chihuahua” Hernandez-Martinez, 37, of the 300 block of West Sixth Street, was sentenced in Montgomery County Court on Tuesday to 15 months to 4 years in a state correctional institution on misdemeanor charges of simple assault, conspiracy to commit simple assault and recklessly endangering others and a felony charge of riot in connection with the 9:12 p.m. Oct 17, 2025, altercation and shooting that occurred with two members of the rival Unknown Bikers Motorcycle Gang on the parking lot of the Wawa at 2544 W. Main St. in West Norriton.
“This court has considered a great deal of information. It was Mr. Hernandez-Martinez who started the physical altercation,” Judge Risa Vetri-Ferman said as she imposed the sentence.
While the Unknown Bikers fired weapons as they reacted to the physical assault, there is no question, Ferman said, that Hernandez-Martinez also possessed a deadly weapon and displayed it during the incident.
Ferman described Hernandez-Martinez as “the head of the pack,” who led his fellow Pagans as they entered the parking lot to confront the two Unknown Bikers who were at the gas pumps.
“This is a conspiracy to assault rival gang members. Every single person at the Wawa that day was placed at risk. Your actions that day were reckless and deliberate. This court cannot ignore that,” Ferman said.
Hernandez-Martinez, who also received a concurrent period of five years of probation, will receive credit for the nine months he’s served in the county jail while awaiting court action.
As he was escorted from the courtroom to be transferred to a state prison, Hernandez-Martinez angrily stated, “(Expletive) the D.A.,” when asked by a reporter for his reaction to the state prison term.
During a three-day, nonjury trial in May, Ferman, who acted as sole factfinder, convicted Hernandez-Martinez and another Pagans member, George T. Cwienk III, 51, of the unit block of 7th Street, Bridgeport, of identical charges.
Cwienk is awaiting his sentencing hearing.
The judge acquitted the two men of the most serious felony aggravated assault charges. With those charges, prosecutors had alleged the Pagans attempted or caused serious bodily injury to the rival gang members.
With the reckless endangerment convictions, the judge found that Cwienk and Hernandez-Martinez endangered the two Unknown Bikers, David Zimmerman and Robert Statzell, and two innocent bystanders.
Assistant District Attorney Bradley Walter Deckel recommended the judge apply a deadly weapon enhancement available under state sentencing guidelines to reflect that Hernandez-Martinez possessed a gun during the incident. Ferman accepted the recommendation and relied on the enhancement, which called for increased penalties for the crimes.
“It was because of this defendant’s actions and his co-conspirators’ actions that people’s lives were forever changed,” said Deckel, who handled the case with co-prosecutor Libby Ann Hemler.
Two innocent bystanders in the parking lot were wounded during the gunfire. A female Wawa employee on a “smoke break” outside suffered a gunshot wound to the back, and a man was shot in the face just below his eye while he was putting air in his vehicle’s tire.
Quoting a victim impact statement from the injured male bystander, Deckel said, “This was not an unavoidable accident. It was the result of reckless and irresponsible actions that showed a complete disregard for the safety and well-being of others.”
Before learning his fate from the judge, Hernandez-Martinez, who spoke with the aid of a Spanish interpreter, said he’s been living in the U.S. for 14 years, is married and had been working three jobs.
“I just want to mention to the D.A., I don’t have time to be a criminal, just simply that,” Hernandez-Martinez said.
Defense lawyer Finn L. Skovdal sought a time-served sentence for Hernandez-Martinez that would give him credit for the nine months he’s been in jail since his arrest last October. Skovdal added Hernandez-Martinez has no criminal record.
“He is not a danger to this community,” argued Skovdal, who asked the judge not to apply the deadly weapon enhancement while fashioning the sentence.
Two friends of Hernandez-Martinez testified he is “very respectable and nice … a wonderful, wonderful human being.”
“It’s not the sentence we expected for this based on the trial and his role,” Skovdal said after the hearing.
Skovdal said he will discuss with Hernandez-Martinez the possibility of filing a motion to ask the judge to reconsider the sentence.
“As always, it’s a possibility, but I’ll have to discuss with him, and then we’ll file it if that’s his choice,” Skovdal said.
Authorities originally charged nine Pagans members in connection with the confrontation.
One club member was acquitted of all charges during the trial with Hernandez-Martinez and Cwienk. Four other club members previously pleaded guilty to some charges.
Earlier this year, Ferman dismissed charges against two other Pagans members.
During the trial, Deckel and Hemler suggested the Pagans, a dominant club in Pennsylvania, felt disrespected when they observed the Unknown Bikers at the Wawa, and they hadn’t requested permission to be in the Pagans’ territory.
One of the challenging aspects of the case occurred when the Unknown Bikers, the key witnesses, expressed reluctance to testify against the Pagans. Zimmerman and Statzell ultimately had to be granted immunity in order to obtain their testimony.
While they testified they were assaulted, Zimmerman and Statzell claimed they couldn’t identify their attackers.
In addition to the two bystanders, Zimmerman, Cwienk, Hernandez-Martinez and a third Pagan suffered gunshot wounds during the incident.
Deckel and Hemler alleged none of the victims would have suffered gunshot wounds if the Pagans had not entered the Wawa parking lot and initiated an attack on a rival motorcycle gang.
Testimony revealed that 13 of the 14 fired cartridge casings found at the scene were fired from guns linked to the two members of the Unknown Bikers, who were not charged in connection with the incident.
Prosecutors argued Zimmerman and Statzell were defending themselves and suggested Cwienk and Hernandez-Martinez were responsible for the injuries suffered by the others under accomplice liability theories.
But defense lawyers painted the Unknown Bikers as the “aggressors,” claiming one of the Unknown Bikers reached for his gun, and the Pagans members tried to disarm him. Defense lawyers argued Zimmerman and Statzell did not have valid claims of self-defense.
Skovdal argued innocent people were shot and injured because of the “reckless behavior” of the Unknown Bikers. Defense lawyers suggested the Pagans were at the Wawa to simply get gas.
Authorities alleged the investigation determined that Zimmerman and Statzell arrived at the Wawa about 9:08 p.m. and were pumping gas when they were confronted by multiple members of the Pagans.
“Through review of various video sources, the Pagans bypassed the initial entrance to the Wawa and then entered a secondary entrance and immediately worked in tandem surrounding the two members of the Unknown Bikers Gang,” county Detective David Holtzman and West Norriton Detective Robert Scotti alleged in the arrest affidavit, adding “the collective nature of their movements was not to intimidate but to overpower the rival group.”
Detectives said the Wawa parking lot was a busy location with a steady flow of customer traffic.
“The collective manner in which the Pagans entered the parking lot, positioned themselves and promptly started attacking the other individuals revealed a conscious disregard for the safety of employees, patrons of Wawa and their rivals,” Holtzman and Sco