Task force files more than 1,000 charges, identifies 43 people in illegal dirt bike activity across Triangle

Durham police and other local law enforcement leaders met on Wednesday to share details about a massive bust where dozens were charged with illegal dirt bike and ATV activity as part of a new task force.

Dirt bike and ATV riders have been seen weaving in and out of traffic, doing stunts, and even going by police headquarters in what's been a persistent problem in the area for several years.

One instance from early June resulted in more than 1,000 charges having been filed between Durham police, Raleigh police, Chapel Hill police and the Wake County Sheriff's Office for illegal dirt bike activity as part of Operation Dismount.

Durham police themselves identified 43 people involved and filed more than 700 charges in connection with illegal dirt bike activity that occurred between June 3 and 4 in Durham. Police said more than 200 motorcycles, scooters, and non-street legal dirt bikes and ATV riders "took over" public streets and highways in Durham, Raleigh and Chapel Hill over the two-day stretch. Videos of riders popping wheelies and revving engines in the middle of busy roads while dangerously weaving around car drivers have circulated in recent months.

Forty-one of those suspects are adults and only seven live in Durham.

A release from police includes several accounts of riders trying to intimidate and harass police officers and the greater community, including:

• Riders attempting to surround responding Durham officers
• Riders damaging a police vehicle and throwing rocks at another vehicle
• One rider spitting on a uniformed officer
• A rider ran over one officer’s foot with a motorcycle
• Riders drove inside a gas station and stole merchandise from the store
• Riders tried to retake a stolen dirt bike after it was recovered by officers

The riders face various charges which include operating an ATV on a street, reckless driving, unregistered motor vehicle, and no operator’s license. Many are repeat offenders.

Durham Police Chief Patrice Andrews said Operation Dismount is an organized centralized task force created to address the problem. The operation was created in June after the rash of reckless and unlawful acts.

"The behavior will not stand and will not be tolerated," Andrews said. "We are a unified front and we are continued in that endeavor."

Raleigh Police Chief Estella Patterson also spoke at the news conference. She mentioned an instance in June where bike riders rode around several main roads in Raleigh, including Hillsborough Street, Creedmoor Road and the Five Points area. Patterson said they received several 911 calls about reckless riders, who evaded the responding officers. The officers did not further pursue the riders to preserve the community's safety.

"During the course of the investigation, we reviewed over 600 hours of videos across a number of social media sites and other sources," Patterson said. "RPD officers ultimately charged 37 individuals with a total of 230 charges."

Patterson said most of the offenders in that case were mostly from Orange County, but others came from throughout the East Coast.

"We are happy that that the focused efforts of our employees have actually prevented crime on our highways," Patterson said.

Durham police charged 11 other people who were not involved in the June 3 and 4 incidents with multiple N.C.G.S. Chapter 20 Motor Vehicle Law misdemeanors and infractions.

ATVs and dirt bikes doing stunts and weaving in and out of traffic on busy roads has become a common sight. Also In June, there was a case of several dozen ATV and dirt bike riders driving from Durham into Chapel Hill from Fordham Boulevard and Franklin Street. Around that time, video was posted to Facebook showing a similar group driving down U.S. 15-501.

The force also includes Durham County Sheriff's Office Chief Deputy Robert Whitted and North Carolina Central University Police Chief Damon Williams.

"Together, we're going to stop this foolishness," Williams said.

Officers encourage the public to report any similar activity they see to authorities, but add to not record anything if you're driving a vehicle for your own safety.