One person was arrested Sunday evening in connection with a dangerous sideshow on the Bay Bridge, according to the California Highway Patrol.
A police aircraft around 6 p.m. spotted roughly 30 to 40 all-terrain vehicles, dirtbikes and motorcycles "riding recklessly" along eastbound Interstate 80, according to the CHP. Police added that the riders were "acting aggressively toward other motorists."
"What we're gonna do is go back and review the video footage from our aircraft that was overhead. A lot of the people in this group were kicking car doors, throwing things, popping wheelies on the freeway," CHP spokesman Sean Wilkenfeld said. "So if we can ID people on the video doing those things, we'll seek prosecution."
Oakland CHP officers waited for the riders to leave the bridge before attempting to stop them, but the riders decided to make an escape attempt. Police cruisers on the ground decided not to pursue the pack because the police aircraft overhead was able to track the group.
The police aircraft followed the pack of riders until a smaller group stopped near 103rd Avenue and Royal Ann Street in Oakland, according to the CHP. That's when officers arrived and detained some of the riders.
Officers were able to impound two dirt bikes and two ATVs as well as arrest 27-year-old Darisha Moran of San Leandro, according to police. Moran, who tried to flee the scene after officers arrived, faces charges such as evading police and participating in a sideshow.
The other riders who were detained in Sunday's sideshow could also face charges after an investigation is completed. Investigators will examine surveillance footage from the police aircraft and work to match names with faces.
"A lot of them are wearing masks, so since we caught them on the ground, we can use our body cam footage and use the descriptions from our officers to work our way to match the descriptions of them on their quad runners or dirt bikes previously," Wilkenfeld said.
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Sunday's sideshow wasn't the first time police and motorists have been forced to dodge dangerous drivers on the Bay Bridge. Back in July, three sports cars brought traffic to a standstill while they spun donuts on the western span of the bridge.
Just a week and a half ago, a Lyft driver was attacked on Highway 101 in San Francisco by a group of dirt bike riders. There are a lot of similarities in the two incidents, but investigators wouldn't say if it's the same group of riders.
Wilkenfeld made sure to take the time to reiterate that sideshow activity, especially with off-road vehicles, is risky and unsafe.
"We just want to remind people this kind of activity is dangerous," he said. "There's plenty of places where you can go off-roading on your off-road vehicle. That's they key. An off-road vehicle is supposed to be off-road, not on our state highway system."
