MIAMI (WSVN) - Tuesday was a busy day for tow truck companies, after 84 off-road vehicles were towed away and 35 people were arrested during the “Wheels Up, Guns Down,” ride on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
At Monday’s unofficial ride, which has become a tradition during the holiday weekend, hundreds of bikers illegally performed stunts and swarmed highways and side streets across both Broward and Miami-Dade counties.
Tuesday morning, many participants of the “Wheels Up, Guns Down” ride across Miami-Dade and Broward retrieved their towed dirt bikes and ATVs from Molina’s Tow Yard, after they were confiscated by police.
After showing proof of ownership and handing over $175 each, the first group of riders were able to clear out of the Molina Toward Yard in Miami-Dade with their vehicles, just before noon.
“I got my baby!” yelled one of them.
Police in Miami-Dade confiscated 39 vehicles in total.
The vehicles that were locked up at Molina Tow Yard were some of the 84 vehicles that were taken away by South Florida police, Monday, even after local law enforcement agencies and MDX issued warnings that off-road vehicles were prohibited on paved roads in the counties.
One man defended driving on a mini-ATV with a young boy, which police arrested him for. “If you go into the inner city, you see how many kids come to the side of the road and watch and just wanna sit on the bike. They know your name and stuff like that. It’s bigger than what people think it is. People look at it like, ‘Oh, you’re a bunch of vigilantes on the street.’ When it’s not that.”
Asked whether it sets a bad example to break the law with a young child, he said, “I mean, it’s still positive though.”
A group of those who had to retrieve their dirt bikes had come all the way from Oklahoma City to South Florida. They told 7News their dirt bikes never even made it off the trailer they had parked at a friend’s house when police confiscated them.
“The police unhinged the bikes and took them off. We were parked on private property,” said one of the men from Oklahoma City. “Everybody knows that Martin Luther King weekend, there’s several things to do. Just because you have a dirt bike doesn’t mean you’re gonna rip the streets up. You know, it’s not illegal to possess a dirt bike, you know?”
While they were not arrested, 35 people were arrested in both Miami-Dade and Broward counties.
One of the riders arrested was a man in Miramar who was pulled over while he riding a kid-sized, four-wheeler with a small boy behind him on the seat.
Another rider who was arrested and bonded out of jail told 7News despite his charges, he does not regret his decision to participate in the ride. “[I was charged with] reckless driving and an unregistered vehicle,” said the man who identified himself only as Twin. When asked if it was worth it, he replied, “Yep.”
Another driver picked up his confiscated ATV and immediately began driving it on the road again.
While there were many arrests, less riders were on the road this year than last. Also in effect this year were Florida Highway Patrol vehicles who blocked roadways so riders could not get onto Interstate 95.
Despite these measures, on Monday night, the celebration took a deadly turn, when 25-year-old Javis Charles, who was riding a motorbike, slammed into a turning car, near Northwest 54th Street and Sixth Avenue.
Charles’ family members told 7News he was killed in the crash.
Later in the evening, police responded to another crash just south of the Palmetto Expressway, at Northwest 27th Avenue and 167th Street. This rider is also believed to be dead.
“To ride an ATV illegally, down a highway, up on two wheels, while endangering your life and the lives of everyone you come in contact with is not the way to celebrate MLK Day,” said Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel. “Next year, we’ll have a better plan. Our goal is to have no ATVs on the road during MLK Day.”
But for many of those who pickled up their bikes, Tuesday, the arrests and bike confiscations haven’t deterred them from riding again, next year. “We’ll be back next year!” yelled some of the men from Oklahoma City.
In addition to the arrests, Monday, police officers also seized three guns.
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