Feature: Police on high alert after deadly Texas gang shooting

The situation in Waco, a city in central Texas state, on Monday morning seemed tense with a visible presence of police who were patrolling the cordoned-off shopping center of the city, where a shootout between motorcycle gangs left nine people dead and injured 17 more a day earlier.

Police have received threats from the criminal gangs, who reportedly continued to flood into the city for retaliation. Authorities said local, state and federal officers are getting prepared in case the gangs decided to act on those threats.

A brawl erupted Sunday afternoon when about 200 bikers from five rival gangs were meeting inside the Twin Peaks Restaurant in the shopping center to settle turf and recruitment differences. The fight escalated from fists and feet to chains, clubs and knives, then to gunfire, culminating in the bloodbath.

Xinhua correspondent on Monday morning saw police on high alert even if the chaos has subsided at the scene. Additional forces were brought in to ensure safety and prevent potential further riots. Security check is beefed up in the shopping center near the restaurant and in the downtown area.

An officer who asked not to be named told Xinhua that investigators from multiple agencies including the Federal Bureau of Investigation were still collecting evidence inside the restaurant, which is infamously known for scantily clad waitresses serving bar food and large mugs of beer. The restaurant had been used as a meeting place for motorcycle gangs for the past few months, police said.

He described the Sunday's bloodshed scene as "the most gruesome and violent crime scene" in his 30-odd years of law enforcement career. The blood-stained floor was strewn with bullets, knives, clubs and chains.

Investigators have already recovered more than 50 weapons in the restaurant. Outside it, more than 100 motorcycles and vehicles were still parked there, many with bullet holes.

Waco Police spokesman Patrick Swanton said in a briefing Monday morning that 170 bikers were booked into the local county jail to be charged with engaging in organized crime and likely will face charges related to the bloodshed after an investigation of the sprawling crime scene, police said. That number has decreased from 192, originally reported by police.

The initial confrontation broke out in a restroom inside the restaurant and eventually spilled out into a parking lot outside, where police were deployed in anticipation of something wrong.

The gang members exchanged fire with police officers and it cannot be confirmed immediately if any of the dead or injured was shot by police. No officers or bystanders were hurt in the incident.

The trouble between local motorcycle gangs has been brewing for some time, of which police were reportedly well aware. They blamed the restaurant owners for not cooperating with them to prevent the fight.

The Waco restaurant and a large part of the shopping mall remained closed Monday. Endite