BOSTON (WHDH) - Boston police have taken 18 people into custody and confiscated 30 off-road vehicles as part of a city-wide effort to address community complaints regarding the safety of these dirt bikes, mopeds, and motor scooters.
Beginning around 11:30 a.m. on May 8, officers responded to a radio call to assist another unit with a traffic stop involving a motorized dirt bike in the area of 842 Morton St. in Dorchester, according to a release issued by the department.
The bike was determined to be unregistered with the Massachusetts Environmental Police and the driver was cited and the bike was confiscated.
Then on Tuesday, May 12, officers recovered two illegal dirt bikes and a moped behind a home on Hecla Street in Dorchester.
Two men were observed riding the bikes without helmets, running red lights, weaving in and out of traffic, and traveling on the wrong side of the road all while operating at a high speed, according to police.
One of the men, a 26-year-old from Mattapan, was taken into custody on a number of charges and the other was issued a citation.
On May 14, officers took a 29-year-old Jamaica Plain man into custody and recovered another illegal dirt bike near the intersection of Magazine and Dudley streets, according to police.
The officers were issuing a summons to appear in Roxbury District Court to the driver on a number of vehicle-related charges when another man pulled up to the scene in a white SUV.
That is when officers learned the driver of the SUV had an active warrant out for their arrest out of Wrentham District Court for receiving stolen property, identity fraud, larceny over $1200, and uttering a false check.
Later that night, officers confiscated four more recreational vehicles from a home on Elwyn Road in Dorchester.
The owner of the vehicles fled the scene while officers continued their investigation.
Community members with information relative to the storage of these recreational vehicles who wish to assist in these investigations anonymously can do so by calling the CrimeStoppers Tip Line at 1 (800) 494-TIPS or by texting the word ‘TIP’ to CRIME (27463). The Boston Police Department will stringently guard and protect the identities of all those who wish to assist this investigation in an anonymous manner.
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