'Gimmie Shelter' Case Closed 36 Years Later

It was a scene that dropped the final curtain on the love and peace 1960s -- a Hell's Angel security guard stabbing to death a man during the Rolling Stones concert at Altamont Speedway near Oakland, California on Dec. 6, 1969. Now 36 years later, the case has finally been closed by investigators.

As the Rolling Stones performed on stage and the cameras for the documentary "Gimmie Shelter" rolled, Alan Passaro, a member of the Hell's Angels motorcycle gang hired by the band to provide security, attacked and stabbed Meredith Hunter, 18, to death.

Enhanced film of the incident revealed that Hunter pointed a gun at the stage before he was attacked by Passaro, who was acquitted of murder charges when the jury concluded that he had acted in self defense.

Another Assailant?

But rumors lingered for years that another Hell's Angel participated in the killing and that kept the investigation officially open. This week Alameda County Sheriff's Sgt. Scott Dudek said authorities have concluded, after a renewed investigation over the past two years, that Passaro acted alone and the case is officially closed.

Dudek said enhanced and slow-motion film footage from the documentary shows clearly that Hunter was holding a gun just before Passaro leaped from the stage and stabbed him. Dudek said Passaro's attorney confirmed that his client was the lone assailant.

Passaro died in 1985.

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Investigators Close Case of Altamont Stabbing