BOSTON (WHDH) - Mayor Kim Janey is urging the public to report dirt bikers and ATV riders to police after hundreds of the vehicles recently hindered an emergency response to a shot pregnant woman in Boston.
Officers responding to a report of a person shot in the area of Talbot and Wales streets on Sunday around 7:20 p.m. encountered a massive gathering of dirt bikes and ATVs before they were able to make their way to the victim, a pregnant woman who was suffering from a gunshot wound to her upper back, Boston police said in an incident report.
The woman was taken to Brigham and Women’s Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. She was said to be in stable condition. Doctors also told police that her unborn child was not harmed.
A witness reportedly told police that the woman was shot when two groups of people exchanged gunfire.
Prior to the shooting, officers responding to a report of pedestrian struck in the area of Pierpont and Glen roads spotted dirt bike and ATVs riders “driving at high rates of speed and performing wheelies in the road,” according to police.
The victim, who was found on the ground, reportedly told officers that he was on his bicycle when a dirt bike struck him.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, Janey announced that the Boston Police Department is working to get the vehicles off city streets amid a recent uptick in late night noise complaints in the area of Franklin Park.
“As a Roxbury resident, I can empathize with residents who hear dirt bikes and ATVs at Franklin Park late at night, and as the weather gets warmer we know that this will continue to be a challenge,” Janey said in a statement.
Janey noted that Boston police have been working on a strategy to get the vehicles off the streets in a “safe manner.”
She also said it’s vitally important for residents to report the vehicles to police because they are often not licensed.
“Dirt bikes and ATVs threaten our community’s quality of life and I encourage residents to support us in getting them off our roads,” Janey added.
An investigation into the shooting remains ongoing.
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