MIAMI BEACH, FLA. (WSVN) - Police arrested a man hours after, investigators said, he pushed a Miami Beach Police officer while he and dozens of other all-terrain vehicle and dirt bike riders swarmed the streets of Mid-Beach.
Cellphone video captured a bizarre scene on Sunday, as one ATV rider was seen attempting to elude a police officer along Collins Avenue.
According to arrest documents, the rider was one of “approximately 100 ATV’s and dirt bikes that were driving recklessly.”
There was chaos on Collins Ave in #MiamiBeach Sunday as ATV riders clashed with police. One arrested. @wsvn #7News #Exclusive pic.twitter.com/IZjMPzdlWZ
— Sheldon Fox-7 News (@fox_sheldon) November 27, 2019
At one point, the video shows the officer confronting the rogue rider in the middle of the street.
Arrest documents state the suspect “driving on the wrong side of the roadway, weaving in and out of lanes and oncoming vehicles (almost causing crashes).”
The footage also shows an officer trying to stop the rider while going for his bike’s keys before he shakes free and flees southbound, leaving his non-street legal vehicle behind.
The video then showed the suspect, later identified as 36-year-old Roberto Flecha, running to meet up with another ATV rider who was seen speeding against traffic.
But Flecha would later be seen again, on surveillance video, when he came to Tremont Towing to retrieve his vehicle.
Police say after riding his ATV against traffic on Collins, fighting w/police and ditching his bike and the scene, this guy tried to get it back at Miami Beach’s Tremont Towing. Its where he’d be arrested. @wsvn #NightTeam #Exclusive pic.twitter.com/UjReAB7Ln4
— Sheldon Fox-7 News (@fox_sheldon) November 27, 2019
The visit did not go as Flecha likely would have hoped. He was arrested and charged with battery on an officer, reckless driving and resisting arrest.
This is not the only time this year that ATV riders blazed a trail of chaos across Miami Beach. Cellphone video obtained by 7News captured a large group of ATV riders as they tore down the MacArthur Causeway and into Miami Beach back in March.
They were seen smashing into a car without stopping, ruining a planned beach day for a family.
“We were going to go to the beach with the kids. My best friend was here on vacation,” the victim said at the time of the crash.
No one was arrested as a result of that incident.
As for Flecha, he has since posted bond. His Yamaha ATV is in police custody.
Police said they will not tolerate reckless driving by those riding on ATVs, dirt bikes or other illegal vehicles and will be keeping an eye out for more dangerous ATV riders.
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