DC Police Announce Massive Crackdown on ATVs, Dirt Bikes in City

D.C. police have just released a huge document filled with surveillance images of 245 persons of interest as the city attempts 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 D.C. 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.