ATV Riders Throw Bricks At DC Cops: Report

WASHINGTON, DC — A DC man was arrested on a slew of charges for throwing bricks at police while he illegally operated an ATV through city streets, according to reports.

DC Police have a "no-chase policy," but officers were seen following the man, along with a group of other ATV riders, through Southeast DC Monday, Fox 5 reports.

A witness told Fox that she was on East Capitol Street and Benning Road when she saw police officers in their vehicles chasing and trailing behind the ATV riders. An officer in a police SUV then drove onto a grassy median to follow one of the riders, according to a video that the witness recorded.

Officers told Fox 5 that the man — Donte Marquis Washington, of Northeast DC — threw bricks at officers and police cruisers while illegally operating an ATV. Officers chased Washington and tracked him down with the help of a helicopter. They eventually found him hiding inside an apartment in the 5000 block of Dix Street, NE.

See Related:

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• ATVs, Dirt Bikes Spotted in Arlington Again (Video)

"Police don't deserve to have bricks thrown at them, but I feel like they could have handled the situation differently," DC resident Jajuan Jones told Fox 5. "I'm glad they caught him."

Washington was charged with two counts of assault on a police officer, unauthorized use of a vehicle, fleeing from law enforcement, vandalizing/damaging/destroying/taking property of a government official, receiving stolen property and operation of all-terrain vehicles.

>> See the Fox 5 post here.

In April, DC Police released a huge document filled with surveillance images of 245 persons of interest as an attempt for a major crackdown on people who ride dirt bikes and all-terrain vehicles on city streets.

Police are offering a $250 reward for tips in the hopes of nabbing dirt bike and ATV riders, who have long angered residents in the region according to an NBC Washington report, which quoted Police Chief Cathy Lanier as saying police have "had enough" of the riders and will "aggressively prosecute" them. You can view the document with all the surveillance images here.

It's more than just that it is technically illegal to drive such vehicles on city streets, police say, pointing to recent incidents including one case where a group of up to 30 ATV riders surrounded and stopped an ambulance that was transporting a sick child because one of the riders thought he had been cut off. The riders refused to disperse until police arrived and made them leave. In another incident, a DC police officer was struck by a group of ATVs and dragged down a street, according to NBC Washington.

Residents have complained that the riders zip through city streets with no regard for street lights or general traffic safety, and they typically ride in large, aggressive packs.

Police are asking those that see the vehicles to call 202-727-9099 or text 50411 with a description of the vehicle and its operator, as well as the location.

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