Six ATV and dirt bike drivers, including a Hillsborough resident, have been charged with safety violations following forays into downtown Chapel Hill. A release from the Chapel Hill Police Department describes “numerous recent weekends” when “a group of several dozen ATV and dirt bike drivers have come into downtown Chapel Hill via Fordham Boulevard and Franklin Street.”

“Many of these drivers speed, run red lights, block oncoming traffic, and drive onto sidewalks. It is extremely dangerous behavior, and it is not welcome in Chapel Hill,” said police chief Celisa Lehew. “Our investigators are working daily to identify and charge these drivers. We know from the experiences of other law enforcement agencies, the group’s goal is to get officers to chase them, while other riders record the dangerous interactions. We will not put the safety of our community at risk by allowing that.”

Among the safety violations against the six drivers are reckless driving to endanger, impeding traffic, helmet law violations, operating an all-terrain vehicle on a public street and unsafe movement. According to the police department, investigators expect to bring additional charges in the cases.

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