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

Some Triangle law enforcement leaders on Wednesday gave an update on a task force that aims to handle ‘illegal and reckless behavior” by riders of dirt bikes and ATVs.

Operation Dismount, a joint effort between N.C. Central and Chapel Hill police departments and Orange and Durham county sheriff’s departments, was created to stop dirt bike problems across multiple jurisdictions.

“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, where she said more than 100 ATVs traveled through Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill at high rates of speed the week of June 4.

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

She also said 37 individuals have received 230 charges, which varied from place to place. Most defendants in the state are from Orange County, she said.

“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 generate 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, including one person who spit on a Durham police officer. Many of those people are expected to be in court in October.

Seven of those people charged on that ride were from Durham. Two juveniles were also charged.

Wagstaff said many same individuals were also charged in 2017-2018, and officers claim there have been reports of bikers carrying guns.

But are these arrests effective?

Officers on Wednesday said many people are repeat offenders and the best way to stop the crimes is by seizing vehicles.

Police did not provide statistics showing the number of injuries or the amount of property damage caused by these riders.

One person has been charged with drug distribution related to the dirt bikers, police said.

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.”