Zak Stone File Photo
(Updated) On his way to a community meeting, Lt. Jeff Hoffman came across a group of dirt bikers holding up traffic with daredevil antics on Middletown Avenue. Moments later, he had one of the dirt bikers in handcuffs — and some fresh dents on his cruiser.
In a separate incident, Officer Anthony Holloman caught a dirt biker on Clifton Street on Friday afternoon.
Hoffman (pictured), the top cop in the East Shore policing district, recounted the story of the arrest this week:
On his way to a community management team meeting on Tuesday evening, Hoffman was heading south on Middletown Avenue. As he approached Flint Street, he saw traffic was stopped in both directions. Cars waited as a group of five males on quads and dirt bikes darted in and out of the road and did donuts in the middle of the street. Hoffman’s cruiser sat two cars back from the action. He put on his lights and sirens and pulled out to break it up.
The off-roaders immediately fled down Middletown Avenue and turned left on Flint Street, with Hoffman close behind. Flint Street ends in a wooded area; Hoffman thought he’d lose the bikers there. But, while his buddies scattered, one of the quad-drivers performed a strange maneuver — a slow u‑turn in the street. Hoffman later learned that the chain had broken on the guy’s quad, leaving him without power.
The quad rider bailed off his vehicle and dashed back down Flint Street on foot. Hoffman jumped out of his cruiser and ran after him.
All of a sudden: “I hear, BANG!” Hoffman said. He looked back and saw the quad had rolled 30 feet and slammed into the police car’s rear passenger-side door.
Hoffman kept running after the quad-driver, who made it back to Middletown Avenue before losing his breath. Hoffman arrested the man, who is in his 20s and has a pending gun case. He was charged with disorderly conduct, engaging in pursuit, reckless driving, operating without insurance or registration, and criminal mischief.
Hoffman handed his arrestee off to officers when they arrived on the scene, and proceeded to the community management team meeting.
Hoffman said his car has dents and scratches from where the quad collided with it. The recent warm weather has coincided with an uptick in quad and dirt bike activity, he said.
On Friday afternoon, Hoffman recounted the story of the arrest of a dirt biker, also on the east side of town:
At around 1:30 p.m. on Friday, Officer Anthony Holloman responded to a report of a man racing a dirt bike up and down Clifton Street. After a short pursuit, Holloman caught the man when he fell off his two-wheel Honda at Warwick and Russel Streets. The 20-year-old was charged with driving without a license, no registration, no insurance, reckless driving, and engaging in pursuit.
In other police news, according to police spokesman Officer Joe Avery:
Officer Robinson recovered a Colt “.38 special” handgun early Friday morning. When he drove into the rear parking lot of 116 Canal St. in the Monterey Homes housing development at 1:52 a.m., he found a parked Range Rover. Two men immediately jumped out of the SUV and started running; one of them was holding his waistband. Officer Robinson saw the man toss a revolver away. He caught up with the 32-year-old and arrested him on gun charges.
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For block-by-block year-to-date crime information, plus daily crime maps, check out the Independent’s Crime Log.