Philadelphia police try to track down ATVs; over 100 confiscated this year
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Over the past two days, police say they have confiscated 23 ATVs and dirt bikes. They are hoping little by little they can get these illegal bikes off the streets.
Police have rounded up ATVs and dirt bikes across the city. These are just some of the bikes that were recently confiscated.
It's a problem that the Philadelphia Police Department said they are trying to put an end to.
"The ATVs, dirt bikes, all of them. We see them probably every other day," Jacob Bonadil said.
Police are hoping this crackdown sends a strong message to those taking over the streets and breaking the law.
"It's not harmless, it's not a joke and it's not a game," Sgt. Eric Gripp said. "People are getting hurt, citizens are getting tired, law enforcement is tired of it."
Those who see and hear the bikes constantly are happy police are taking a stand.
"They are always going down the streets very careless sometimes the dirt bikes are on the sidewalks," Bonadil said.
"Overall safety wise yeah, I love it. I don't think we think about the gravity of the situation," Fatima Ahmed said. "In the moment it's whatever but the fact that it happens every other day."
Police said this year they confiscated 149 ATVs and dirt bikes in total.
Most recently, police arrested a biker caught on video near City Hall, jumping on a woman's car, and breaking the back window while her children sat in the back seat. Police said he then pointed a gun in her face and head-butted her.
"The hope is folks that riding these bikes and taking part and think this is harmless fun saw what happened the other day and at a bare minimum don't want to be associated with that type of behavior," Gripp said.
Police said they are constantly evolving their techniques and tactics to track them down.
"Our sidewalks, our rec centers are not the area to take part in this activity," Gripp said. "When we get them, oftentimes they aren't coming back, the crushers are getting them."
In addition to confiscating the bikes, they also made two arrests.
One person was driving a stolen ATV and the other person was wanted for a homicide.
