Police trap horde of riders on dirt bikes, ATVs on Bay Bridge following unruly street takeovers

More than 70 dirt bikes and all-terrain vehicles were trapped and seized by police on the Bay Bridge, even as some riders abandoned their vehicles and tried to flee on foot, authorities said.

Sunday’s police action was the result of a two-month operation targeting a group of riders and organizers who police said took over city streets and intersections, and generally disrupted public safety across the San Francisco Bay Area.

“We’re not going to stop investigating,” Oakland Police Department Interim Chief James Beere said during a news conference Monday. “If you got away [Sunday], just expect a warrant at your door.”

The group, composed of dozens of people riding ATVs and dirt bikes, stopped in San Leandro on Sunday before heading to a park in east Oakland, Beere said. On the way, members of the group took over streets — at times performing dangerous stunts on their vehicles.

Police received multiple complaints as the horde of riders moved on to Berkeley, Oakland and San Francisco.

But Beere said more than 100 Oakland police officers — including drone operators, SWAT and crime-reduction team members, as well as some officials working undercover — had anticipated the event.

As the group headed to San Francisco on the Bay Bridge, those officers coordinated with San Francisco police and the California Highway Patrol to close off the bridge, trapping the riders.

A total of 77 vehicles were seized and nine people were arrested, Beere said. The charges included five misdemeanors, four felonies, two firearm charges and outstanding warrants.

The investigation is ongoing.

“This isn’t over,” Beere said Monday.

Several of the riders abandoned their vehicles and fled on foot, including one person who jumped over a fence, went into the water and swam away.

That individual was ultimately detained by police.

“It was pretty chaotic,” Beere said. “Everyone did not just stop.”

Some people fleeing on vehicles escaped custody as officers chose not to pursue because of their department’s policies.

On Friday, two people believed to have organized the takeover event were also arrested, Beere said. Officials have not released their identities.

Beere said the department had heard reports that some of the people who fled from police were injured, and he encouraged them to come forward. He said that, of the people who were detained, no injuries were reported.

“We’re going to focus on the individuals we knew we could arrest safely,” he said. “We’re not going to risk the participants’ safety, the officers’ safety, or the general public’s safety.”

Beere said the department still had video evidence to follow up on, and expects more arrests to follow.