It’s illegal to operate an ATV, dirt bike or mini-bike on public land in D.C., but, of course, that doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen. And while some residents would prefer members of the Metropolitan Police Department to chase alleged offenders of the law, there’s a serious reason they don’t. A recent crash involving a Maryland teen under investigation offers a reminder.
Amir Brooks died from injuries sustained after he hit a tree in Southeast D.C. while riding a dirt bike. As the Post reported, a Prince George’s County police officer was in pursuit of the 17-year-old at the time.
A police officer saw a dirt bike being operated illegally in the 1900 block of Brooks Drive in District Heights about 2:15 p.m., police said in a statement.
“The officer activated his lights and attempted to verify with the dispatcher whether the dirt bike was connected to a recent armed robbery at a county business,” the statement said. “While awaiting confirmation, the officer pursued the fleeing dirt bike in Prince George’s County.”
County officials declined to release additional details, including how fast the officer may have been driving. The county’s Special Investigation Response Team is conducting an administrative investigation, officials said.
“I just don’t understand why they would chase him,” his mother Pamela Brooks told WJLA. “I could see if he was committing a crime—doing something really bad—but he was just riding a dirt bike.” A “No Chase – Amir Brooks Fund” has been set up to support his family.
Instead of chasing dirt bike riders, D.C. police officers “snap pictures of riders, identify them and apply for warrants, then appear at riders’ homes to make arrests and seize bikes or all-terrain vehicles that had been reported stolen.”
Despite the policy, MPD was sued last year by black bikers who claimed officers intentionally targeted them with deadly force. According to attorney David Shurtz, who is representing the plaintiffs, that case has been stayed. Shurtz is also representing the family of Arnell Robinson, who they say was killed after an MPD officer intentionally swerved to hit him while he rode a dirt bike. The discovery process in that case just concluded.
