‘Stop this foolishness.’ How police departments are curbing illegal dirt bikes, ATVs

Several Triangle law enforcement leaders gathered Wednesday to update the public on efforts to handle ‘illegal and reckless behavior” by riders of dirt bikes and ATVs.

Operation Dismount, a widespread multi-jurisdictional task force between Durham, Raleigh, Chapel Hill, Duke, NC Central police departments and Orange and Durham county sheriff’s departments, was created to stop dirt bike problems across the region.

“It has been made quite clear that their actions are designed to disrupt operations in our cities and towns,” Durham Chief of Police Patrice Andrews said during the press conference.

Estella Patterson, Raleigh’s chief of police, said the effort has “prevented crime” on Triangle roadways, after more than 100 ATVs traveled through Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill at high rates of speed the week of June 4.

At the time, police agencies, particularly Raleigh police, apprehended very few of the drivers. Only eight people were arrested in connection with the illegal ride, all of whom were arrested in Chapel Hill or Durham.

“For the overall safety of our community, we did not pursue violators in a vehicle chase,” Patterson said.

On Wednesday, Patterson announced that 43 individuals and filed more than 700 charges related to the June 4 ride. Most of the defendants, she said, are from out of state. However, of the defendants from North Carolina, the majority of them are from Orange County.

“Together we want to stop this foolishness,” Damon Williams, N.C. Central chief of police, said Wednesday. “We don’t want it in our jurisdiction.”

Durham police Sgt. John Wagstaff said bike groups generated hundreds of calls for service and that between June 3 and June 4, more than 200 individuals rode together from Durham, Raleigh and Chapel Hill.

Wagstaff said the group took extra measures to evade police capture and antagonize law enforcement. He alleged that certain riders vandalized and threw rocks at police cars and even spit on a uniformed officer.

Wagstaff also claimed to hear reports of multiple riders possessing firearms. He later said some individuals arrested in this sweep are facing illegal possession of firearms charges.

Many of those people are expected to be in court in October.

Despite the wide swath of arrests related to this ride, Andrews said multiple riders have already gone on to offend again. Still, law enforcement insists their approach to stopping these riders is effective.

Patterson said her focus is on seizing vehicles when legally possible to prevent future biking crime.

However, a police press release clarified that only five bikes have been seized. Of those five, only two were impounded.

Police said they received hundreds of calls related to the June 4 ride, but they did not provide data on the number of injuries, if any, that were caused by the ride.

Cruising in Durham and Chapel Hill

Groups of ATV and dirt bike riders have been speeding, running red lights, blocking oncoming traffic and driving onto sidewalks, according to the Chapel Hill Police Department.

Dozens of riders were seen cruising down Fordham Boulevard and Franklin Street this summer.

“We know from the experiences of other law enforcement agencies, the group’s goal is to get officers to chase them, while other riders record the dangerous interactions,” Police Chief Celisa Lehew said in a news release in June.

In June, Durham police said they encountered more than 200 dirt bikes in the area of Garrett and Hope Valley roads. Police said officers stopped “several riders” and recovered two dirt bikes – one of which was stolen.

Riders have been seen multiple times in and around downtown Durham on Main Street, Blackwell Street near the Durham Bulls Athletic Park and Fayetteville Street and US 147, just blocks away from the Durham Police Department.

“It is extremely dangerous behavior, and it is not welcome in Chapel Hill,” Lehew said.

Durham Police Chief Patrice Andrews said a multi-jurisdictional task force, which includes the Durham County District Attorney’s office, has been established to “focus solely on identifying, apprehending, and prosecuting individuals in our community that are more committed to being a part of the problem rather than the solution.”

Dirt bike and ATV arrests

In June, six drivers in Chapel Hill were charged with traffic safety violations including reckless driving, impeding traffic, operating an all-terrain vehicle on a public street, helmet law violations, unsafe movement, driving left of center and driving with a revoked license, police stated in a news release.

The drivers charged are Travone Jaron Alford, 28, of Concord; Dominick Johan Kelley, 29, of Spotsylvania, Virginia; Frederick Lenard Huff, 27, of Barco; Phillip Michael Horton, 25, of Hillsborough; Charles Damian Creel, 33, of New Hill; and Zarek Jaray Rollins, 35, of Durham.

Also in June, two dirt bike riders were arrested for similar behavior in Durham.

Jamal Anthony Redick, 35, of Durham and Marquis Tyqureus Massey, 24, of Durham were charged with operating an unregistered motorcycle and resisting officers, Durham police said.

Fatal ATV crash in Raleigh

In May, two men were killed in a fatal collision between an ATV and car on Poole Road, according to Raleigh police.

Keevin Epps, 36, and Jayah Jackson, 18, were riding northwest along Poole Road when the ATV collided with a 2019 Kia Optima.

Epps and Jackson were thrown from the ATV and died. Neither man was wearing a helmet, according to police.

Taylor Williams, 24, the Kia driver, was cited for failure to stop at a stop sign and two counts of misdemeanor death by motor vehicle, according to police.

Are ATVs legal on streets?

Modified utility vehicles — which are defined under North Carolina law as “a four-wheeled motor vehicle manufactured for off-road use with specified equipment … that doesn’t require the operator or passenger to straddle a seat” — are street legal in the state under certain circumstances.

They can be driven “on streets and highways where the posted speed limit is 55 miles per hour or less” but can’t be driven on “any street or highway having four or more travel lanes unless the posted speed limit is 35 miles per hour or less.”

Modified utility vehicles need to, under state law, be “equipped with headlamps, stop lamps, turn signal lamps, tail lamps, reflex reflectors, parking brakes, rear-view mirrors, speedometer, seat belts, and a vehicle identification number.” If the vehicle doesn’t have a windshield and windshield wipers, the driver and any passengers have to wear “a safety helmet, with a retention strap properly secured.”

They also are required to be registered with the DMV and insured.

Kids younger than 8 years old aren’t allowed to drive ATVs or UTVs in North Carolina, and anyone under the age of 16 has to be supervised by an adult while driving an ATV or UTV. Additionally, state law says those under age 13 can’t drive “an ATV or UTV with an engine larger than 70 cc” and those under 16 can’t drive “an ATV or UTV with an engine larger than 90 cc.”