Confrontation emphasizes danger of dirt bikes, say officials
The driver of an illegal all-terrain vehicle picked the wrong man to intimidate in Mott Haven, according to police.
The ATV barreled toward a car driven by the commander of the 40th Precinct, narrowly missing a head-on collision, in an incident that officials said underlines the growing danger of dirt bikes on city streets.
As the ATV charged toward his unmarked police car, Deputy Inspector Christopher J. McCormack showed he still had his street cop instincts.
According to police, he swerved to avoid the ATV, which came at him shortly after noon on Sunday, Sept. 29 on East 133rd Street near Walnut Avenue. The ATV crashed into a 2008 Volvo tractor-trailer.
As McCormack moved to slap the cuffs on the ATV’s driver, a woman who police said was a friend of the driver attacked him, pushing McCormack several times, according to police. He arrested her as well.
The Bronx District Attorney threw the book at Angelo Camara, the driver, charging him with reckless driving, two counts of aggravated violation of driving an unlicensed vehicle, and violations of the vehicle and traffic law.
Vilmary Martinez was charged with harassment and obstructing governmental administration, according to the DA.
ATV and motorcycle gangs have become a dangerous and frustrating problem in the Bronx, according to police. The gangs remain unchecked because New York City Police Department policy, recognizing the danger to others of a high-speed chase, does not allow police to pursue illegal vehicles.
Earlier this summer Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. urged NYPD Commissioner Raymond Kelly to crack down on illegal bikers.
“We have seen a proliferation of dirt bikes being driven in our parks, on our streets, sidewalks and our highways in a very unsafe, often illegal manner,” Diaz wrote in a letter to Kelly on June 14.
This month, Diaz pursued his campaign against dirt bikes with a call for gas stations to be barred from selling gas to illegal vehicles.
“These dirt bikes and ATVs are not street legal,” said Diaz in a statement on Oct. 2 after a highly-publicize incident in Northern Manhattan. “It is time for this City to consider a creative solution to shut off the fuel that drives the recklessness that has taken control of our streets.”
Diaz called for legislation that would fine gas stations up to $1,000 for allowing illegal vehicles to use their pumps. He acted after bikers got into a confrontation with a driver on the Henry Hudson Parkway, pursued the man to Washington Heights, dragged him from his SUV and beat him, according to police and to a video that went viral on the Internet.
“There is a time and place for dirt bikes,” said Diaz. “But riding on our streets is a serious hazard to bikers, drivers and pedestrians, and that needs to stop.”
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