Miami PD investigating "Flash Mob on Wheels"

MIAMI - Miami police were virtually powerless to stop a virtual "flash mob on wheels" when hundreds of dirt bikes, motorcycles and all-terrain vehicles took to the streets on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, reports CBS Miami.

The bikers were riding the wrong way on streets, popping wheelies, running red lights and cutting off other drivers. The ride was organized on social media for months, according to the station.

According to authorities, the massive takeover by dirt bikes and ATVs, breaking the laws on South Florida roads, seemed to come out of nowhere.

"It kind of caught us by surprise," said Major Delrish Moss.

"It did catch us off guard," said Joe Sanchez of Florida Highway Patrol.

The Florida Highway Patrol, Miami Police Department, and Miami-Dade Police said they do monitor social media but catching everything is impossible.

"Sometimes it's difficult to locate the site they're using,"said Detective Alvaro Zabaleta with the Miami-Dade force.

Some on Instagram compared the bikers' ride to the civil rights movement, claiming "They walked for peace, we ride for peace." Trending hashtags on social media were #bikelifemiami and #bikesupgunsdown, reports CBS Miami.

"We don't mean no harm or cause no pressure we are just out here celebrating Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday," one Miami resident said.

However, the message of picking up bikes and putting down guns, according to Miami police, was questionable.

"That kind of chaos just sent a bad, bad message," said Moss to the station.

Moss said they did not chase the bikers to issue citations for fear the situation would get worse.

"What they wanted is for us to pursue them. They wanted attention," said Sanchez.

"When you make a decision to chase you have to weigh certain safety factors," said Moss, "Are you by chasing them going to create a bigger risk? Are you going to create a bigger hazard that's going to cause more danger."

According to the station, the Florida Highway Patrol reported three crashes and three arrests. They said it's against their department policy to give chase for a traffic violation and they feared that pursuing the law breaking bikers would endanger more lives.

Meanwhile, Miami Police and Miami-Dade Police said they plan to speak with organizers and have a plan in place for next year.