by
Scene from an overnight sting by DPD. (Photo: WXYZ video)
Not ten days after a Michigan State Police trooper was sentenced to 5-15 years in prison for the 2017 killing a teen riding an ATV, it has emerged that Detroit police have created a task force to crack down on the activity.
WXYZ reports the task force had a successful night arresting hobbyists who showed up to ride at a deserted intersection and seizing their ATVs.
Why are police in one of the most dangerous cities in America devoting resources to going after four wheelers that shouldn't be driven on streets? DPD claims it's in response to "multiple injuries, even deaths" and complaints from neighbors, WXYZ says. (We wonder whether the deaths to which they're referring include 15-year-old Damon Grimes' killing.) It also could be in response to a story by Fox 2 that last week showed riders doing stunts on city streets during the evening rush.
The Detroit Police Department's chase policy would prohibit officers from chasing a rider unless they believed they were involved in a violent felony.
So where can the ATV riders go now?
"Police are urging people to use ATVs in public spaces and not on city streets," WXYZ reports.
Consider us confused.
