“Freaken cops gotta ruin it”

New Haven police sent a message out to illegal dirt-bikers — thanks to the bikers themselves.

The department distributed a snippet of dialogue from Instagram Monday to help report on its efforts this past weekend to stanch a menace that has returned again to the city’s streets this spring.

The Instagram message (pictured above) was posted by a ​“wheelieli” dirt-biker who was stopped Sunday as part of a multi-town police effort to keep dangerous riders off the streets. (Click here to read a story about that effort.) Quoth wheelieli and his compatriots:

wheelieli: New Haven was terrible. No repping out this time. They out numbered our team. They didn’t want to chase bikes so they stopped trucks on the way in. Don’t even unpack your bikes. Leave after they checked every bike… we repped out Bridgeport. Thanks fellas over there. New Haven. We gotta dm the next ride no posting on the gram. Then we storm out…

polo4me2: They stopped us soon as we got thr

bobby_09: Freaken cops gotta ruin it

Cops hit the streets ​“in force” Sunday upon receiving reports that riders from all over planned to show up in force in New Haven, illegally tearing down streets, terrorizing pedestrians and other drivers, according to police spokesman Officer David Hartman. He reported the following in a press release:

“About 30 people decided to ride their unregistered and uninsured off road bikes and ATVs through city neighborhoods. Mixed in with the perpetrators were about 35 riders atop legal motorcycles.

“Three people were arrested. Five illegally operated dirt bikes and one illegally operated ATV were seized according to the operation’s supervisor, Sgt. Karl Jacobson. He hopes there will be another half dozen or so arrested after as many arrest warrants are applied for.

“Information provided by the Hamden Police Department led CIU [New Haven Criminal Intelligence Unit] Officers to the area of Wilmot Road and Wintergreen Avenue where riders were reported to have gathered. When CIU Officers got there, they found a large commercial box truck. The back of the truck was open. It contained unsecured containers of gasoline. The truck was impounded along with its content.

“CIU Officers and those of the Hamden Police and Southern CT State University Police Departments stopped several trucks containing dirt bikes and ATVs. Several gas canisters were confiscated. As these bikes weren’t being operated, arrests were not made. They were, however charged with other offences including the unsafe transportation and storage of gasoline. The bikes and ATVs were photographed with their owners who were warned that if they were seen riding in the future, arrests would be forthcoming. Sgt. Jacobson reported that those who were stopped turned around and left the city.”