Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
‘Banshee Will’ to face charges
In his Instagram video, a man who calls himself Banshee_Will laughs defiantly as he rides an ATV on a Hollywood street while a police car with red and blue lights flashing and siren blaring trails behind.
In his mug shot, Banshee_Will, who police say is Wilfredo Garcia, Jr., 27, looks less happy.
Authorities brought him from jail in New York, where he lives, to South Florida to face charges for his alleged actions on the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday.
Over the past three years, hundreds of dirt bike and ATV riders whose vehicles are not legal for street use have commandeered South Florida highways.
Called “Wheels up, guns down” or “Bikes up, guns down,” the participants say it’s a peaceful event to celebrate the late civil rights leader.
Police in two counties say otherwise. Using their own motorcycles, helicopters and patrol cars in a coordinated enforcement, they try to stop riders who ignore traffic laws and weave among other drivers while performing stunts.
Hollywood police searched social media and on Instagram found a video from the day they say was posted by Garcia. It features him laughing while riding his ATV, with cops using lights and sirens following him.
Garcia is accused of speeding along South State Road 7 at 50 mph in a 35 mph zone; making an improper lane change and U-turn; driving through construction barriers and into oncoming traffic; and causing other drivers to brake to avoid crashes, according to a court document.
Garcia never stopped for a Hollywood sergeant and Broward Sheriff ’s deputy, Hollywood police said.
The agency worked with New York Police, who arrested Garcia on Jan. 25 and put him in the Rikers Island jail.
On Tuesday, Garcia, a warehouse worker, was in Fort Lauderdale for a court hearing. Assistant Public Defender Faisal Afzal sought a reduced bond, but Judge Michael Davis set it at $10,000.
If freed on bond, Garcia will have to return to South Florida for future court hearings. He faces charges of reckless driving and fleeing with disregard to the safety to persons or property.
During this year’s ride, a dirt bike rider died Jan. 16 in a crash in Miami and a motorcycle rider also died in Miami-Dade County, authorities said.
The day before, also in Miami-Dade County, an ATV rider who was among a large group of ATVs, dirt bikes and motorcycles on the Palmetto Expressway, died in a crash, the Florida Highway Patrol said. It was not known if he was going to participate in the holiday ride.