Wheels Up, Guns Down group passes through Miami Shores, Miami Gardens on annual ride

Authorities successfully kept MLK Rideout participants off highways

MIAMI SHORES, Fla. – One of the MLK Rideout groups stopped to show off some stunts Monday afternoon next to Barry University in Miami Shores.

WATCH LIVE: Sky 10 follows riders

The riders of motorcycles and illegal dirt bikes drove eastbound near the university’s school of podiatric medicine on Northwest 115th Street near Northwest Second Avenue.

MLK Rideout participants perform stunts on Monday afternoon in Miami Gardens. (Local 10 News)

The group was also active in Miami Gardens where the area’s police department reported Monday afternoon officers had made three-related arrests, issued four criminal citations and six traffic citations and impounded 11 vehicles.

Some MLK Rideout participants were breaking the ATV law on Monday afternoon in Miami-Dade County. (SKY 10)

The MLK Rideout, also known as the Wheels Up, Guns Down event, is held during the weekend the country commemorates Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday, and officials around the country organize parades to pay tribute to the civil rights icon.

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Some MLK Rideout participants were breaking the ATV law on Monday afternoon in Miami-Dade County.

Florida Highway Patrol troopers and Miami-Dade Police Department officers warned they were ready to arrest daredevils.

As of 8 p.m. Monday, Miami-Dade police said it had impounded 34 vehicles.

MDPD also made 11 felony arrests, four misdemeanor arrests and 13 traffic arrests.

Additionally, 41 traffic citations were handed out and two guns were recovered.

Dozens of MLK Rideout participants were breaking the law with dirt bikes Monday afternoon in Miami-Dade County. (SKY 10)

Florida law didn’t expressly forbid wheelies, a staple of basic motorcycle stunting, until 2008 when a new law required motorcyclists to “maintain both wheels on the ground at all times.” Violators must pay a $1,000 fine during a first offense, a $2,500 fine for a second offense and a third-degree felony charge punishable by up to 5 years in prison and a $5,000 fine for the third offense.

Troopers are also reminding riders that it is illegal to operate dirt bikes and all-terrain vehicles on public highways. Florida law also requires ATV riders to wear over-the-ankle boots, eye protection and a safety helmet.

Miami’s MLK Day parade


About the Authors
Andrea Torres headshot

The Emmy Award-winning journalist joined the Local 10 News team in 2013. She wrote for the Miami Herald for more than 9 years and won a Green Eyeshade Award.

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