Hunter, wounded, dropped to his knees. The Hells Angel gripped him by the shoulders and kicked him in the face, over and over. The Angels surrounded him in a loose circle, pounding him with their boots until he collapsed face-forward," writes Rolling Stone magazine on the account of Meredith Hunter's death. History. The Hells Angels originated on March 17, 1948, in Fontana, California, when several small motorcycle clubs agreed to merge. Otto Friedli, a World War II veteran, is credited with starting the club after breaking from the Pissed Off Bastards motorcycle club over a feud with a rival gang.. According to its website, the club's name was first suggested by Arvid Olsen, an associate of the. Nelson is facing charges that he conspired with several other Hells Angels to murder Joel Silva, a former Hells Angels sergeant-at-arms who prosecutors say had fallen out of favor with his fellow club members. Prosecutors allege that Nelson lured Silva to the Fresno clubhouse, where another member shot him in the head.