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ATV Riders Invade Miami (January 19, 2015) WTVJ | WFOR | WSVN

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• published: 20 Jan 2015
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) – Thousands of people on ATV’s and dirt bikes flooded South Florida to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The bikers were seen driving the wrong way on streets, popping wheelies, taking red lights and cutting off other drivers. “We gonna catwalk, we going to one hand we are going to step on our seats we going to run every light there is to run,” one rider told CBS4’s Travell Eiland. We don’t mean no harm or cause no pressure we are just out here celebrating Martin Luther King Jr. birthday,” one Miami resident said. But that’s not how authorities saw it. “Those who do this, you don’t have any respect, no respect for what we have fought for for all these years,” said Florida Highway Patrol Officer Joe Sanchez. FHP troopers said at least three crashes resulted from the reckless riders and at least three bikers were arrested. While law enforcement officers are aware of the situation a Highway patrol spokesperson said they have tried to do traffic stops but some of the bikers pull off. Troopers can’t case after them because it’s against department policy to give chase for a traffic violation and they fear pursuing would endanger more lives. The large group of motorcyclists and ATV riders apparently met up at a gas station near NW 151st St. and 7th Ave. before hitting the road. Police monitored the situation closely, as the bikers moved all over town. The group had been through I-95 State, State Road 112 and various streets of Northwest Miami-Dade. Several police departments confirmed they had received calls from other angry drivers who said this was a danger. CBS4’s Jim DeFede caught up with some of the riders at a Sunoco gas station on 119th Street. Some of the bikers told him they had come down from Palm Beach to participate in the ride. Another person told DeFede that people should be happy because the kids are making a choice to “put down the guns and pick up the bikes.” Throughout social media, #bikesupgunsdown and #bikelifemiami trended. Some of the riders did commit traffic infractions like running red lights and blocking intersections. Officials also said it is illegal to ride ATVs on public roadways. One rider said even if their message was lost to commuters, it was a better alternative to violence and was able to bring people together. "Well I know that's kind of tough. But I mean, this brings everybody together. It's better than being in the club fighting with each other," a rider said. But, ambulance vehicles had difficulty getting through streets and one woman ended the holiday with minor injuries. "It's crazy. It's like somebody's going to get hurt," a man said. A young women was taken to the hospital after she fell from a bike that had just struck a car. The biker took off before medical professionals arrived. "It's ridiculous. You just leave somebody for dead like that," one woman commented from her car. On Northwest 49th Street and 17th Avenue, a dirt bike smashed into a vehicle. No major injuries were reported.