ATV and dirt bike riders stream wild ride through Providence

October 24, 2017 5:55 pm

By Bianca Buono

bbuono@abc6.com

@BBuonoABC6

A crackdown by Providence Police on people wildly riding ATV’s and dirt bikes in the city had been working until this weekend. Dozens of them were spotted around I-95 pulling wild wheelies and weaving in and out of traffic. One of the riders streamed it all on Facebook live.

"I’ve been a police officer for 30 years and we’ve had these problems on and off. It has not been to this extent until this year,” said Commander Thomas Verdi of the Providence Police Department.

Commander Verdi says the problem has been so bad the city created a task force with the sole purpose of cracking down on ATV’s and dirt bikes being driven illegally on city streets.

"We’ve issued just over a hundred summonses, we’ve towed over 90 vehicles,” Verdi said.

For whatever reason, this past weekend saw a major shift in daring, illegal activity. Verdi said the large crew weaved its way through Providence, Cranston and Pawtucket.

"If the problem doesn’t abate, someone will get hurt. Either one of the cyclists will or a completely innocent individual,” Verdi said.

Thankfully for police, the Facebook video exists. They are now using it to identify as many of the riders as possible.

"They’ll be stopped, they’ll be summoned, and they’ll be seized,” Verdi emphasized.

The riders are breaking a number of laws. It is illegal to drive any vehicle that is not registered. They are also driving recklessly, without glasses, speeding, and dirt bikes do require helmets.