Unknown Bikers members described being surrounded and attacked before gunfire erupted outside West Norriton Wawa
Two members of the Unknown Bikers Motorcycle Club testified under court-ordered immunity Tuesday in the ongoing Pagans motorcycle club assault trial tied to the October 2025 shooting outside a West Norriton Township Wawa, though both men appeared reluctant to cooperate and repeatedly claimed memory lapses during questioning.
David Zimmerman and Robert Statzell — the two rival bikers prosecutors allege were attacked by members of the Pagans Outlaw Motorcycle Club — initially invoked their Fifth Amendment rights against self-incrimination when called to testify in Montgomery County Court, according to The Mercury.
Judge Risa Vetri Ferman later granted both men immunity at the request of prosecutors, compelling them to testify while ensuring their statements could not later be used against them, per the report.
Zimmerman, who suffered gunshot wounds to his arm and leg during the Oct. 17, 2025 confrontation outside the Wawa at 2544 W. Main St., repeatedly testified he could not recall portions of the incident because of post-traumatic stress disorder. Prosecutors countered by confronting him with prior grand jury testimony in which he described being surrounded and assaulted while pumping gas, according to The Mercury.
“I just went on autopilot fighting for my life. I didn’t know what was going on,” portions of Zimmerman’s earlier testimony read aloud in court stated, according to the article.
Zimmerman denied defense suggestions that Pagans members confronted him because he reached for a firearm first. When defense attorney Robert Kirwan questioned Zimmerman’s PTSD claims, Zimmerman fired back from the witness stand: “I don’t think you know how PTSD works,” later adding, according to The Mercury, “Do you want to be my therapist?”
Statzell similarly testified he and Zimmerman were ambushed while fueling their motorcycles.
“I was surrounded. There was multiple people. I had nowhere else to go. I was struck and then I pulled out my firearm,” Statzell testified, according to The Mercury. He maintained he fired his weapon in self-defense after fearing for his life.
The trial centers on allegations that Pagans members confronted the Unknown Bikers for riding through what prosecutors described as Pagans territory in Montgomery County without permission while displaying their club “colors.” Zimmerman and Statzell testified they were unaware of any such territorial restrictions and denied provoking the encounter.
“We ride where we want,” Statzell testified, according to the report.
Three Pagans members remain on trial: George T. Cwienk III, Joel “Chihuahua” Hernandez-Martinez and Justin “Junkyard” Ray Noll. All waived jury trials and instead placed their cases before Ferman. Prosecutors allege the Pagans initiated the violence by entering the crowded Wawa parking lot and surrounding the rival bikers.
Defense attorneys, however, argued the Unknown Bikers were the true aggressors and questioned why they were never criminally charged despite evidence showing 13 of the 14 shell casings recovered at the scene were linked to their firearms.
The shooting wounded six people total, including two innocent bystanders — a Wawa employee struck in the back while outside on break and a man shot in the face while putting air in his tires. Three Pagans members and Zimmerman were also shot during the exchange of gunfire.
Four Pagans members have already pleaded guilty to assault- or conspiracy-related offenses in connection with the case, while two other defendants previously had their charges dismissed before trial.
All suspects and defendants are innocent until proven guilty. This story was compiled using public court records and information provided by the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office