Police seek identity of dirt bike rider – ABC2 News

BALTIMORE - The buzz sneaks up on you from out of nowhere -- their not cicadas, but dirt bikes.

It's illegal to ride them in the city, but when cameras caught a fleet with a child riding, seemingly, on the handlebars officers say they've had enough.

Baltimore police say riding dirt bikes is nothing new in the city, they've long been a nuisance.

"These off road vehicles, a lot of times, they're stolen and they're not registered. The drivers are very reckless. They're aggressive. They drive in groups and people have been assaulted," Detective Nicole Brown, with the police department, said.

And in this case, a child was put in danger.

"That's concerning. We're worried about the child's safety and we want to know whether or not the parents know what was going on and if not alert them," Brown said.

While some bikes are allowed with proper licensing and registration, police say in the past week, their Dirt Bike Task Force has seized nine bikes -- more than 150 last year alone.

"More often than not, a lot of the dirt bikes that we're encountering in Baltimore city -- they are stolen. So it's in no way a victimless crime," Brown said.

Crimes that in some cases can kill innocent bystanders.

"We've had innocent victims who've been struck and we've had dirt bike riders lose their lives and cause injuries to other people," Brown said.

In addition to reckless driving, the bikes are noisy -- an even bigger issues for people who watch them zip down city streets.

While some may call it Baltimore, others have had enough.

"Just as many people that are accustomed to it, they're a lot of people that are just tired of it. They're tired of the noise, they're tired of being cut off in traffic and they definitely want something done," Brown said.

If you have any information on who the riders are or their bikes, call the dirt bike task force at 443-902-4474.

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Police seek identity of dirt bike rider - ABC2 News