13-Year-Old Charged for Dirt Bike Chaos

Montgomery County police charged a 13-year-old boy after officers said he rode a dirt bike recklessly through downtown Bethesda on Wednesday, April 22. (bethesdamagazine.com) (wtop.com) Police said officers were called around 6 p.m. to Arlington Road and Bethesda Avenue after reports that a group of children on dirt bikes and e-bikes were speeding, running red lights and riding on sidewalks. (wusa9.com) (wjla.com) The group rode toward Elm Street, and police said the 13-year-old later returned near Elm Street and Woodmont Avenue, where officers arrested him and towed the dirt bike. (wusa9.com) (bethesdamagazine.com) The charges listed by police include reckless and negligent driving, resisting arrest, disorderly conduct, driving without a license, driving an unregistered motor vehicle and failing to obey traffic control devices. Police said he was released to his mother. (wusa9.com) Lt. Ari Elkin said officers have been getting repeated complaints about teenagers riding e-bikes and dirt bikes dangerously in Bethesda’s central business district. He said riders have cut off drivers, popped wheelies and nearly struck pedestrians. (wjla.com) (wtop.com) Police said the behavior has included riders trying to provoke chases and fleeing when officers try to stop them. Elkin told reporters there have been recent crashes in Bethesda involving young riders and cars at intersections. (wtop.com) (wjla.com) The warning to parents was as much about the machines as the riding. Police said the 13-year-old did not have a Maryland driver’s license and the dirt bike was not registered. (wusa9.com) (wtop.com) Elkin said parents should know that many dirt bikes and similar vehicles cannot legally be used on public roads without registration and a licensed driver. The arrest in Bethesda turned a broader safety warning into a criminal case. (wtop.com) (bethesdamagazine.com)