Baltimore Police Officer Struck from Behind by Dirt Bike During Arrest
What to know
- A Baltimore police officer was hospitalized after a dirt bike rider intentionally struck her from behind while officers attempted to arrest a suspect tied to illegal riding activity.
- The incident unfolded during a late-night encounter with a group of dirt bike riders, where one suspect resisted arrest and bit a detective before another rider hit the officer.
- The case highlights ongoing challenges with illegal dirt bike activity in Baltimore, where pursuit limits allow riders to evade police, leading to increased enforcement efforts and seizures.
A Baltimore Police officer was sent to Shock Trauma on Sunday after a dirt bike struck her from behind during an arrest in Charles North, court records show.
This weekend’s incident in the 1700 block of Maryland Avenue, near Penn Station, comes as the city’s political and law enforcement leaders look to address illegal and sometimes dangerous dirt bike riding across Baltimore.
A city police officer identified only by the last name Vasquez was taken to the Maryland Shock Trauma Center around 3 a.m. Sunday, soon after authorities took a 30-year-old man into custody, according to the man’s charging documents.
Vasquez has since been released from the hospital, a police spokesperson said Wednesday, but has not yet returned to duty.
The department did not answer questions about the officer’s injuries and declined an interview request on her behalf.
However, Baltimore Police Commissioner Richard Worley briefly mentioned the incident Tuesday during a budget hearing before the City Council, saying dirt bike riders “raised the stakes” when they “tried to run up the back of one of my officers.”
“Our cops are not happy with the way that individual behave[d],” Worley said, “and we’re going to do everything we can to take every single dirt bike off the street.”
The department said Wednesday that it is still looking to identify a suspect in the officer’s assault.
According to charging documents, shortly after 2:30 a.m. Sunday, a detective patrolling Charles North and helping with crowd control outside a nightclub saw “a large group of dirt bikes” at the intersection of Maryland Avenue and Falls Road.
At least one man, police said, was riding a white Yamaha dirt bike without registration plates or proper safety equipment.
While the detective was in a marked police vehicle, the man allegedly revved his engine and tried to block the detective from driving down the street.
Safety risks prevent city police from pursuing dirt bikes in chases, leading offenders to “taunt” officers, Worley said.
The man “suddenly lost control” of the dirt bike, and it dropped on the street. The detective got out of his vehicle and tried to take the man into custody, wrapping his arms around him and bringing him to the ground, according to charging papers.
Police said the man began resisting arrest and tried to leave both on foot and on the dirt bike. Other officers, including Vasquez, came in as backup.
Police said the man bit the detective in the arm, drawing blood, before an unknown person “intentionally” drove their dirt bike into Vasquez’s back.
The detective was treated at the scene by medics, while Vasquez was hospitalized, according to charging papers.
Riding a dirt bike or any unregistered motorcycle on a public street is illegal in Baltimore and punishable by a maximum fine of $1,000 or up to 90 days in jail.
Last month, after a 37-year-old man driving a dirt bike was struck and killed by a truck, Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott said “extremely dangerous” riding has been an issue in the city since he was in elementary school.
But in recent weeks, the city’s police department has ramped up its efforts to enforce the dirt bike laws, including issuing more fines against gas station owners who allow riders to fill up.
The department announced that it had also seized 11 dirt bikes and all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) over the weekend in and around Herring Run Park following community complaints.
“We’ve got to take off one or two of them at a time,” Worley told the council, adding that “quite honestly, [he] can’t stand them.”
City Councilman Zach Blanchard said during Tuesday’s budget hearing that he’s “really appreciated” the work targeting dirt bikes and “was really excited to see the news” about this weekend’s seizure.
When Blanchard asked Worley about whether more personnel would go to a unit more focused on dirt bikes, the commissioner said no because he has to fill vacancies in patrol shifts first.
However, Worley told Blanchard that other special operations units will be “brought in” to address dirt bikes.
“They are a nuisance to the city,” the commissioner said.
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