Dirt bikes, ATVs take over San Francisco streets
Hundreds of dirt bike, ATVs drive recklessly, doing wheelies on San Francisco streets
In San Francisco, hundreds of dirt bike and ATV riders sped right through the Richmond District, even going up onto sidewalks. Residents are not happy about what happened and theyre not happy that no SFPD officers showed up to their complaints regarding safety. The drivers did wheelies, and donuts. Police said theyre understaffed.
SAN FRANCISCO - Hundreds of people riding dirt bikes and ATVs buzzed through San Francisco's Richmond District and other parts of the city on Sunday afternoon.
A video shared by a witness shows riders motoring along on the sidewalk and on the wrong side of the street, as well as on the sidewalk.
As the crowd of vehicles made its way near 17th Avenue and Lake Street, one witness, Jim Riley, is heard complaining that police have not shown up 30 minutes after he called about the caravan.
"They were recklessly going down the street. They were taking up both lanes and on the sidewalk, doing wheelies," Riley told KTVU.
The riders sped past just moments after Riley's 22-year-old son with special needs had ventured outside.
"He could have been hit. And he could have been killed," Riley said. "When I saw what could have happened, I almost passed out. I was shaking."
Riley and others called police. But no officers showed up.
"Try something! But throwing your hands up in the air and saying there's nothing we can do isn't the answer," Riley said.
It all began when the armada of bikers crossed the Bay Bridge from the East Bay.
They ended up going through the Presidio on Veterans Boulevard, where they also popped wheelies.
The bikes ended up doing doughnuts in a sideshow at 14th and Lake before heading west along Lake in an area designated as a "Slow Streets" neighborhood.
"They are having fun, but at everybody else's expense, and it's a real violation. It's just, it's ridiculous. I mean, it's really unsafe," said Jon Paulsen, another resident.
Paulsen says he went to SFPD's Richmond station and that officers told them there was nothing they could do, "Because if they chase them, then it could get worse, and they're trying to avoid the confrontation. And they also I talked to another police officer and they just said they're so understaffed, this is not a priority.
Officer Robert Rueca, a San Francisco police spokesman, said, "The motorcyclists were briefly in the city, and, based on the information we have at this time, they did not have any interactions with law enforcement."
Riley says the riders were all of different backgrounds.
"It has nothing to do with race. It has to do with ignorance and lack of regard for other people," Riley said.
However, he was clearly heard on the video advocating gun violence against the caravan.
Riley and other residents plan to attend a meeting with SFPD Capt. Chris Canning of the Richmond police station at a meeting at Temple Emmanuel, 2 Lake, at 5 p.m. Tuesday.
Traffic was blocked on the Golden Gate Bridge by a large group of riders around 4:20 p.m., the San Francisco Standard reported.
Henry Lee is a KTVU crime reporter. E-mail Henry at Henry.Lee@fox.com and follow him on Twitter @henrykleeKTVU and www.facebook.com/henrykleefan