More than 165 arrests were made and dozens of vehicles were impounded as Miami-Dade Police cracked down on the illegal use of ATVs, dirt bikes and motorcycles during the Martin Luther King Jr. weekend, officials said Monday.
Officials said 169 arrests were made during the initiative, which began Friday and ran through Monday.
In addition to the arrests, 83 vehicles were impounded, 20 stolen vehicles were recovered, 26 firearms were impounded and 693 citations were issued, while 239 warnings were given, according to the MDPD.
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Police said traffic stops yielded suspects linked to other crimes.
"During this operation, investigators were able to come in contact with some of these ATV riders who may have had open warrants or a criminal past and low and behold, they were still engaging in reckless behavior in Miami-Dade County," Miami-Dade Police Det. Andre Martin said.
Jason Lewis, who was among the dozens who were arrested, was accused of riding an ATV during the rideout and refusing to stop when officers tried to pull him over. He was eventually caught and had an out-of-county warrant for his arrest, police said.
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Another man arrested, Jeyson Ortiz, was accused of speeding and blowing through red lights and faces charges of reckless driving, fleeing police and driving with a suspended license.
Detectives from MDPD's Homeland Security Bureau along with officers from MDPD's Priority Response Team, Motors Unit, and the Florida Highway Patrol also conducted a takedown of numerous violators engaged in participating or spectating in intersection takeovers at a location near Miami International Airport on Friday, according to a MDPD news release.
Miami-Dade officers and law enforcement partners were able to intercept the individuals who were riding the ATV's illegally on county roadways.
The department constantly emphasized throughout the weekend that it would have zero tolerance for anyone breaking traffic laws and being reckless in Miami-Dade County.
"The reason this is so dangerous is mainly because these vehicles are not designed to be ridden on roadways," Martin said. "They don’t have seatbelts. Many of them don’t have break lights or headlights. They can’t be seen by larger vehicles and they contribute to a large number of traffic fatalities.”
