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Hundreds of bikers swarm streets, 4 arrested
Genevieve Curtis reports.
TAMPA, Fla. - It was chaos on two wheels Wednesday as police say a group of about 200 riders took over city streets, weaving through traffic, running red lights and even riding against traffic.
What we know:
Tampa Police say the incident lasted more than 45 minutes. The group was riding bikes, e-bikes, dirt bikes and scooters.
Courtesy: Tampa Police Department
They swerved in and out of lanes, took over sidewalks, and ignored traffic laws. Police helicopter video shows riders performing wheelies and speeding through intersections.
"We definitely felt that there was an extreme danger at that point, and we needed to address it," said Major Les Richardson.
By the numbers:
Police arrested four people, with another arrest pending, and issued seven citations for reckless driving.
Richardson says riders ranged in age from 16 to 29. While many pulled over when stopped by officers, others took off.
Courtesy: Tampa Police Department
"If we are talking about 200 people that just ended up saying, ‘let's go on a bike ride’ and that bike ride turned reckless, it's a little bit harder to determine if it was meant to be that way or if it just turned into that," said Richardson.
Dig deeper:
This was different from the street takeovers with cars we’ve seen in the past, where drivers block entire intersections for stunts. The state cracked down on those last year, passing tougher laws.
Richardson said this incident is considered reckless driving and not everyone involved will face charges.
"Not everyone was trying to cause havoc, some were just riding with the pack, and pulled over when we arrived. "Their actions dictated their charges," Richardson added.
Big picture view:
Similar to street takeovers, investigators say gatherings like this are often fueled by social media.
Richardson explained, "Social media is huge for us, and we'll continue to pry into that as best as we can to get the right answers that we need to make sure we're addressing the right things and charging accordingly."
Courtesy: Tampa Police Department
Richardson says Tampa police can sometimes intercept these events before they happen, but this one took them by surprise.
"This one just got away from us, but we dealt with it effectively and safely," he said.
What's next:
Some riders got away, but police are reviewing helicopter footage to identify more suspects.
"We still have a lot more to identify, but we’re going to work hard on that," Richardson said.
Police urge drivers to remain calm if caught in a similar situation, avoid trying to cut riders off, and not engage.
The Source: Sources for this report include an interview with a police major and video from a police helicopter.