WASHINGTON — Police say they are serious about cracking down on ATV and dirt bike riders, who have menaced drivers on the Capital Beltway, struck police officers and blocked an ambulance that was transporting a baby to an intensive care unit.
Leaders say a coordinated, regional effort against the illegal riders has been going on for about a year now, and efforts to get them off the roads are intensifying.
In the District alone, police say 400 ATVs and dirt bikes have been confiscated as part of the operation, and almost 100 arrests have been made.
“The bikes that we have seized will be destroyed,” said D.C. police chief Cathy Lanier.
Lanier said leaders are now able to speak publicly about the yearlong operations for the first time without compromising them.
Work is ongoing to identify more offenders. D.C. police have posted online high-quality images of 245 individuals who are wanted for illegally riding the vehicles in D.C., Maryland and Virginia.
“The riders that we can identify, we are going to aggressively prosecute,” Lanier said. “Some of these riders could face multiple charges from multiple jurisdictions.”
Alexandria police chief Earl Cook hopes local citizens do not tolerate the incident: “Report this, and help us solve these very serious cases.”
A D.C. police program offers a $250 reward for tips about riders and the locations of their vehicles.
While many residents would like to see officers chase and catch illegal riders when they’re spotted on area roads, Lanier said that attempting traffic stops creates too great a danger to officers and to the public.
“If a police officer in a police cruiser attempts to pursue these vehicles, what we know will happen is [riders] will go up on the sidewalk and strike pedestrians,” Lanier said.
