Officials warn about ‘Wheels Up, Guns Down’

Participants can face fines, jail or off-road motorcycle confiscation

Fines, jail time, and the confiscation of off-road motorcycles and all-terrain vehicles await those who participate in the annual “Wheels Up, Guns Down” roadway recklessness this holiday weekend.

The event has attracted riders from around the country in the past five years. It is loosely promoted as a celebration of Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday by way of emphasizing King’s message of non-violence, but police say it has morphed into a celebration of lawlessness.

Hundreds of riders take to the side streets, state roads and highways each year, swarming intersections, running red lights and tying up traffic, according to authorities. Due to incidents of injury and mayhem in past years, South Florida law enforcement agencies issued a fresh warning Thursday.

“We will be conducting a zero-tolerance operation,” said Broward Sheriff Gregory Tony, while flanked by deputies, Florida Highway Patrol troopers and police officers at a news conference.

Tony reiterated that the event is not sanctioned and is a threat to public safety. He said there will be more manpower on the street, more eyes in the sky, and more scrutiny of social media to catch anyone who flouts the rules of the road and other laws.

“Every year when we talk about the name of this event — ‘Wheels Up, Guns Down’ and when we execute our traffic [enforcement] we always find a gun out there,” he said. “So, there’s some hypocrisy behind some of these activities.”

FHP Mjr. Robert Chandler advised motorists to stay calm when surrounded by 50 to 100

dirt bikes, 4-wheelers and ATVs and leave the enforcement to the experts.

“The Highway Patrol has multiple aircraft in the air, as well as the sheriff ’s office,” he said. “We know where these groups are [and] we’re going to handle it.”

Riders who are caught will go to jail, pays stiff fines and lose their vehicles, he added.

Tony said he plans to ask state legislators to put more teeth into traffic laws so violators won’t slide by with a small fine and quickly get their seized vehicles back.

“If we have repeat offenders and they continue to show up, there should be much more stricter and harsher penalties for these individuals,” he said.

During the crackdown last year, there were 12 arrests, 21 criminal citations issued, 15 vehicles seized, and one gun taken off riders in Broward County. In 2017, Javis Charles, 25, and Jose Ramon Hernandez Acevedo, 20, both of Miami, died in separate crashes in Miami-Dade.

“They endanger themselves as well as other motorists,” said Chandler. “It’s useless to run from us because of the number of aircraft and other resources we have, you’re not going to get away.”