WASHINGTON — Maryland State Police say cellphone video has yielded some vehicle tags of the motorcyclists and ATV riders who disrupted travel on the Capital Beltway on Dec. 27. However, no arrests have been made of any of the members of the pack that stopped traffic, popped wheelies, drove the wrong way and frightened drivers.
“We have had some success in identifying a few of the vehicles involved, those that had tags on them anyway,” says Elena Russo, spokeswoman for the Maryland State Police.
The bikes are so fast police cars can’t catch them, but Russo says police are hunting for those involved.
“Our investigators are more than eager to identify those who really violated the laws of the road and put peoples’ lives in danger,” Russo says.
Besides analyzing video of the incident in a bid to identify the bikers, investigators are studying the digital trail after bikers posted numerous pictures and video on social media of their wheelies and other stunts.
On the warm Sunday afternoon when traffic was disrupted, Beltway motorists sounded the alarm by calling 911.
“I’m on the Inner Loop of the Beltway just past exit 13. There’s about 30 ATVs, sports bikes, motorbikes, on the highway, blocking traffic, doing tricks on the highway … one almost hit another vehicle,” one male caller told 911 dispatchers.
“Oh, oh my gosh … there’s 20 or 30 of them. They’re weaving in and out of traffic, extremely aggressive and actually scary,” a female caller relayed to 911.
Russo says Maryland State Police are working with other police agencies, including Prince George’s County police, on its investigation. She says the goal is to identify those who disrupted traffic while also developing an enforcement plan that could effectively curtail any future disruptive rides that the group might plan.
