PEMBROKE PARK, Fla. – At least one person died and dozens others were arrested while taking part in the annual "Bikes Up, Guns Down" ride across South Florida on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
One fatality involving a dirt bike was reported Monday night in the area of Northwest Sixth Avenue and Northwest 54th Street, Miami police said.
Police said Javis Charles, 24, died after his dirt bike collided with a Toyota Camry that was making a left turn in front of the bike. Charles was taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital's Ryder Trauma Center, where he was pronounced dead.
Shortly before 2:30 p.m., Sky 10 was following a little more than a dozen riders who were traveling through Miami-Dade County. They appeared to congregate in a large dirt area, but several riders quickly took off when police arrived.
The number of riders swelled to more than three dozen by 3 p.m. At one point, one rider could be seen traveling in the wrong direction on Northwest 79th Street.
By 7:30 p.m., Miami-Dade police had towed away 33 all-terrain vehicles, motorcycles and dirt bikes. In addition, five vehicles were towed and two guns were recovered, Miami-Dade police Detective Alvaro Zabaleta said.
Nine people were arrested on charges that range from resisting officers without violence to obstructing traffic, Zabaleta said.
Hollywood police spokeswoman Miranda Grossman said at least one person was arrested in the city and more than 10 vehicles were towed.
Sky 10 was above Northwest 27th Avenue and 167th Street about 5:30 p.m. as police were attending to a rider who was down in the street. A helmet was on the ground nearby.
The rider was placed onto a stretcher and taken to a hospital Miami-Dade Fire Rescue. The extent of his injuries was not immediately known.
Broward Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Keyla Concepcion said 35 total arrests were made in Miami-Dade and Broward counties. She said 74 vehicles were towed and three firearms were seized in a joint operation with authorities from both counties.
The Florida Highway Patrol, as well as authorities in Miami-Dade and Broward counties, warned ATV, motorcycle and dirt bike riders last week about the importance of safety on the roads and the consequences of dangerous actions.
One rider was killed Sunday after crashing on the Palmetto Expressway.
Miami-Dade police said they have investigated more than 100 crashes since 2013 that involve ATVs, dirt bikes and motorcycles.