Dozens of bicyclists take over Miami streets, highway during Wheels Up, Guns Down
MIAMI - Dozens of bicycle riders took to the streets in Miami on Monday afternoon and evening to participate in this year's Wheels Up, Guns Down event.
At around 4:40 p.m. the riders made their way onto SR 826, affecting traffic. They got off the highway again and then got on again.
At 4:54 p.m. the riders were off the highway again and had stopped in the middle of a Miami Gardens street.
Images did not show police units in the area.
Riders eventually took to the streets again and began riding.
Many popping wheelies and doing stunts, causing several traffic jams.
One man ended up crashing his dirt bike into a police car at the intersection of Northwest 99th Street and Northwest 22 Avenue, which ended in the man's arrest.
CBS4 cameras caught riders pedaling mostly with traffic, but there were some who were riding against traffic. Many of them cut off drivers and were nearly hit.
Chopper 4 video showed at least one police helicopter flying over the riders.
Earlier, riders had gathered outside of a convenience store before they headed out to the streets.
Miami-Dade Police said 11 firearms were recovered, including a rifle.
According to police, the man who was carrying the rifle is 27-year-old Kenneth Earl Johnson, who was charged with cannabis possession and open carrying a weapon.
Law enforcement agencies said they would be out in force and patrolling the roads as they expected hundreds of people to take part in rides.
Here is what Miami-Dade said Monday evening about what had been done as part of a countywide traffic safety initiative that began on Friday, Jan. 13:
- 2 ATV (Impounded)
- 8 Motor/Dirt Bikes (Impounded)
- 62 Felony arrests
- 17 Misdemeanor arrests
- 3 Traffic arrests
- 15 Firearms recovered (14 guns, 1 rifle)
- 2 Stolen vehicles recovered
- 372 grams of Cocaine (Impounded)
- 9 Moving citations
- 7 Non-moving citations
The Broward Sheriff's Office said they made no arrests or seizures.
The annual event started as a way to honor a slain biker in Philadelphia. In recent years, it's become a dangerous display of riders doing stunts and racing on South Florida streets.
Miami-Dade police, the Broward Sheriff's Office, the Florida Highway Patrol, and other local law enforcement agencies said they would not tolerate any ATV or dirt bike riders who ride in a reckless manner, block traffic, ride against it, pop wheelies, or ride on sidewalks. It's become an annual problem in South Florida.
They had plans in place to shut down reckless riders when they are spotted.
"Let's honor the memory and legacy of Dr. King with honor and respect," said Miami-Dade Director Freddy Ramirez. "We are asking those who ride these vehicles to be respectful."
The Florida Highway Patrol said they would be out in full force, providing a highly visible presence on highways to deter reckless behavior. But that's not all.
"We will have support from our aircraft operations unit which will monitor traffic and report individuals or groups interfering with other motorists or driving recklessly to troopers patrolling on the ground," said FHP Lt. Alejandro Camacho.
