DC Police Arrest ATV Riders as Citywide Crackdown Continues

The scourge of ATVs and dirt bikes on public roadways in the District prompted the Metropolitan Police Department to release 245 images of people suspected of illegally riding the vehicles throughout the city back in April. On Tuesday, MPD issued a statement publicizing several arrests since then and reminding riders that police officers are on the lookout for them.

Police arrested 33-year-old Darvin Banks of Northeast on June 9 in one of the latest incidents. Officers in the 6th District spotted him operating an ATV in the 2800 block of Minnesota Avenue SE at around 9:16 p.m., the MPD said in a statement. He noticed the cruiser and tried to flee, but crashed into another ATV rider, who managed to escape. Banks, however, was apprehended after a brief foot pursuit in the 2900 block of Nelson Place SE, police said.

Banks faces charges of illegally operating an all-terrain vehicle or dirt bike.

Officers have made 27 arrests in the months of April and May, and 30 ATVs and dirt bikes have been recovered. Last year, 77 people were arrested and 117 vehicles were recovered all year.

Besides not being street legal, the ATVs and dirt bikes are frequently ridden by groups of individuals who drive recklessly and aggressively on city streets, police say.

"MPD shares the communities concerns about ATV’s in our city," Captain Michael Pavlik with the Criminal Intelligence Branch said in the statement. "It sickens me that these riders have no concern for the safety of others. This is extremely unsafe and unacceptable."

Police are offering a reward of $250 for information that leads to a successful confiscation of an ATV or dirt bike.