Dirt Biker Fells Girl

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by Staff | Mar 22, 2012 3:45 pm

(14) Comments | Commenting has been closed | E-mail the Author

Posted to: Legal Writes

A dirt biker was a real dirt bag to a 7-year-old girl who had the nerve to stand at a bus stop with her father.

At least that’s the upshot of a police report about an incident that took place between 4:15 and 4:30 p.m. Wednesday.

Here’s what happened, according to police spokesman Officer David Hartman (with his exact words in quotation marks):

Officer Robert DuPont was trying to stop “several reckless dirt bike riders” in Edgewood Park. Officers Chirstopher Senior and Ekrim Halim came to help. They saw one such rider, who refused to stop. He tore instead in and around Whalley, riding “over sidewalks and caus[ing] near-collisions as he swerved through traffic.” He eventually zoomed down a sidewalk and knocked down a 7 year-old girl standing with her dad at a bus stop at Whalley and the Boulevard. The rider, who’s 22, “didn’t stop.” He “continued until apprehended after being ejected from the bike when he hit a curb. He didn’t submit to his arrest without a struggle, but Officers Senior and Halim had him in handcuffs quickly.” The man was charged with interfering, pursuit, risk of injury, reckless driving, and other charges.

Also Wednesday, according to Hartman, cops went to Bristol Street on a report of a loud domestic argument. And man and his wife had been fighting. She said he got angry about a discussion she was having with relatives over the phone, and “assaulted her” and “restrained her, preventing her escape.” The cops found “broken glass on the floor” of an “apartment in disarray.” The man said his wife had thrown glass and other objects at him. The cops arrested both of them. The man is 37 years old; the cops didn’t have an age for the woman.

For block-by-block year-to-date crime info, and daily crime maps, check the Independent’s crime log.

Comments

posted by: anonymous on March 22, 2012 4:17pm

The dirt bikes are all over the place every Spring when the weather improves. They need to be removed from the streets and parks through the use of very heavy fines and “sweep” tactics.

Is the 7 year old girl OK?

posted by: HewNaven on March 22, 2012 5:40pm

How come when you point a gun at someone and fire they call it “attempted murder”, but when you aim a dirtbike towards a 7-year-old girl it’s called “reckless driving” and “risk of injury”.

Just curious.

posted by: Curious on March 22, 2012 5:41pm

Isn’t driving a dirt bike on the streets in itself illegal? Why can’t they just arrest them for that, and confiscate the bikes?

posted by: FrontStreet on March 22, 2012 7:43pm

And every evening, as the dirt bikes fly up and down the streets of Fair Haven and Fair Haven Heights, I and others call the police hotline. And complain on ClickFix, pointing out that the dirt bike kids are a public safety and quality of life issue. I hope NHPD hears our concerns and can work to address the issue. Dirt bikes don’t belong in an urban environment. It’s as simple as that.

posted by: Wildwest on March 22, 2012 8:41pm

sorry anonymous but this is a year around problem in most neighborhoods. it just happens that spring is the only time anything is done about it.

nice job officers, dont be afraid to get them.

posted by: John Fitzpatrick on March 22, 2012 9:01pm

A big thank you to Officers DuPont, Senior, and Halim!

posted by: Dean Moriarty on March 22, 2012 10:35pm

MikeM is right. It’s really become a year long menace. In the winter all it takes is a light coating of snow and the ATVs are all over the roads in Fair Haven. Now that it’s warm we’re back to the dirt bikes. Quinnipiac Ave, between Hemingway and Route 80 has become a daily and nightly bike trail. One particularly obnoxious “rider” has been speeding up and down this stretch numerous times each day and night, and seems to take great pleasure revving his engine at high RPM. Seems like Harley’s are stopped often for loud pipes, but this (non-licensed) nonsense continues?

posted by: Curious on March 23, 2012 8:11am

Why don’t the cops enforce the laws that are on the books already? If those bikes aren’t modified for street use, it is illegal to ride them on the street: end of story. Arrest the riders, confiscate the bikes, and sell them at police auction. Done.

posted by: Fairhavener on March 23, 2012 9:56am

I have witness cops on numerous ocassions, too many to count, and high ranking patrol included, do absolutely nothing as they get buzzed by these nice young dirt bike riders. They’re just having a little fun you know?

New Haven has long been a haven for dirt bike riders, if you own an unregistered/uninsured dirtbike and would love to ride it wreclessly, just come to New Haven!

posted by: junebugjune on March 23, 2012 11:23am

I wonder how it could improve the problem to have a dirt biking/off roading center in New Haven where we could regulate, train, and sanction young dirt bikers? As with most things, you can tell young people not to do something, fine them, and even put them in jail, but they’re going to find a way to keep doing it. Giving them a legal and safe option could get them off our roads where they are endangering motorists and pedestrians and ensure that they receive the proper training and supervision to have a safe off-roading experience. Part of the problem is that there is very little for young folks to do in town. I’m not against the use of these bikes per se, but I do freak out when six are coming at me in the wrong lane on a residential road.

posted by: David S Baker on March 23, 2012 10:46pm

NHPD - I can attest that most of Fair Haven Heights (and likely the whole great city of New Haven) would love to hear more stories that end with a dirt-biker in cuffs and an ATV seized. Great work officers! Keep the pressure on this nonsense PLEASE. Your community has your back on this one 100%. Whatever it takes.

9 times out of 10 these offenders get away because they can go places cruisers and patrol bikes cannot, no? Some rural communities use dirt bike officers who are trained on large frame off road motorcycles with huge fuel tanks. Perhaps the city can buy a couple? I doubt an investment of this type would raise a taxpayer eyebrow.

posted by: FrontStreet on March 24, 2012 7:27am

I think this would be a great opportunity for the new leadership of the NHPD to demonstrate their commitment to community policing. It’s a public safety issue and quality of life issue that is relatively easy to solve (if memory serves, there was a dirt-bike/ATV patrol that was successful some years ago). Very much in line with Chief William Bratton’s “Broken Windows” theory of community policing (fix the small stuff and the larger stuff will follow).

posted by: Ken on March 24, 2012 11:57pm

The reason the cops watch the dirt bikes go by now is because the new Chief told them they cannot chase them anymore. They were told to let them go. Don’t like it call him and complain don’t blame anyone else.

posted by: Wildwest on March 25, 2012 8:17am

Ken- the police WERE chasing him.

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