DC Police Announce Progress in Dirt Bike, ATV Crackdown

D.C. police say they are making progress in their effort to arrest people who illegally ride dirt bikes and all-terrain vehicles on city streets.

In April and May, the Metropolitan Police Department arrested 27 people caught riding the bikes, and confiscated more than 30 of the vehicles, police announced Tuesday morning.

In all of 2015, 77 riders were arrested and 117 ATVs and dirt bikes were confiscated, police said by way of comparison.

“With the assistance of our regional partners and the community, numerous riders have been identified, and those cases are being presented for prosecution,” Capt. Michael Pavlik said in a statement.

One ATV rider was arrested last week after police say he rode past a police car, hit another rider, fell off his vehicle and then ran.

Darvin Banks, a 33-year-old Northeast D.C. resident, was seen riding on the 2800 block of Minnesota Avenue SE about 9:15 p.m. Thursday, police said. After he ran, an officer caught up with him around the block, on Nelson Place.

Banks was charged with illegally operating the vehicle. The ATV rider he hit was able to escape, police said. The incident remains under investigation.

On April 7, D.C. police released surveillance images of 245 persons of interest seen riding dirt bikes and ATVs in the District. The vehicles are illegal to ride on D.C. streets, sidewalks, alleyways or trails. Riders have hit police officers and civilians, and 14 riders still are sought in connection with the May 2015 shooting death of reporter Charnice Milton.

"We have had enough, our community has had enough, and the riders that we can identify, we are going to aggressively prosecute," Police Chief Cathy Lanier said in April. "The bikes we have seized will be destroyed."

MPD "continues to explore new options to handle these vehicles," the department said in the statement Tuesday.

How to Report an ATV or Dirt Bike Rider
If you see an ATV or dirt bike being operated illegally in D.C., take note of how you can describe the rider, vehicle and location, police say on the department's website. Call 202-727-9099 and report what you saw.

If your tip leads to the identification of the rider and the seizure of the vehicle, the MPD's Command Information Center will give you a tip-tracking number you can use to collect a $250 reward.

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