NOW THE SUV GONE. THE CAR WAS RECOVERED? MINUTES LATER AT THE CVS ACROSS THE STREET. BUT
IS STILL ON THE RUN.
>>KENT JUSTICE: THERE IS
OUTRAGE OVER WHAT SOME
JACKSONVILLE RESIDENTS ARE
DESCRIBING AS ROAD WARRIORS
AND TERRORISTS ON MOTORCYCLES.
EVERYTHING THAT WE SAW WAS
NOTHING MORE THAN
>> AN ACCIDENT WAITING TO
HAPPEN.
>>KENT JUSTICE: WE’RE NOT
IDENTIFYING MULTIPLE PEOPLE IN
THE STORY THAT COMES FROM
THEIR FEAR OF RETALIATION FROM
COMPLAINING ABOUT THE LARGE
GROUPS OF BIKERS. ONE RECENT
WEEKS HAVE BEEN PERFORMING
DANGEROUS STUNTS IN TRAFFIC
NEWS. JAX REPORTER ERIK
AVANIER JOINS US LIVE FROM
HENDRICKS BOULEVARD WHERE
NEIGHBORS SAY IT’S NOT A
MATTER OF IF, BUT A MATTER OF
WHEN SOMEONE GETS HURT BECAUSE
OF THIS AIR.
>> YEAH, CAN’T NEIGHBORS AND
EVEN MOTORISTS ARE TELLING US
THAT THIS IS HAPPENING IN
BROAD DAYLIGHT. THEY SAY IT’S
SOMETIMES HAPPENING AT NIGHT.
LARGE GROUPS OF MOTORCYCLISTS
PUTTING THEMSELVES AND OTHERS
IN DANGER GET THIS, THOUGH,
SOME OF THE NEIGHBORS HERE,
SAN MARCOS SAY THAT LARGE
GROUPS OF MOTORCYCLISTS ARE
WEARING THEIR ENGINES DOWN. A
LOT OF THESE RESIDENTIAL
STREETS HERE LATE AT NIGHT
WAKING FOLKS UP.
>> CELL PHONE VIDEO FROM THIS
PAST SATURDAY CAPTURES WHAT
APPEARS TO BE HUNDREDS OF
MOTORCYCLISTS HINDERING
TRAFFIC AT THE INTERSECTION OF
PHILIPS HIGHWAY AND UNIVERSITY
BOULEVARD. A WOMAN WHO WAS
WITH HER HUSBAND AND THEIR ONE
YEAR-OLD BABY IN A CAR TRYING
TO GET THROUGH THE
INTERSECTION, DESCRIBED THE
SCENE FROM HER POINT OF VIEW.
THEY WERE POPPING WHEELIES.
WORST. THEY WERE SPINNING
AROUND WHEN THE LIGHT TURNED
GREEN. SHE SAYS SHE TRIED TO
NAVIGATE THROUGH THE CHAOS AND
EVENTUALLY GOT THROUGH BUT
SAYS 2 OF THE MOTORCYCLISTS
APPEAR TO FOLLOW HER CLOSELY,
THEN GET BESIDE HER, THEN MOVE
IN FRONT OF HER AND KEPT
LOOKING BACK AT HER BEFORE
TAKING OFF. I’VE GOT A BABY IN
THE CAR.
>> AT THE SAME TIME, I THINK
SOMEBODY IS GOING TO HURT
DATING. FEEL VERY
INTIMIDATING. I MEAN, I FEEL
LIKE THEY WERE GOING TO
FOLLOW.
>> EVERY MOVE I WAS NOT TOO
FAR FROM THIS LOCATION.
ANOTHER MOTORIST RECORDED
VIDEO OF WHAT APPEARED TO ONE
MILE STRETCH OF THE SAME GROUP
OF MOTORCYCLISTS. THAT WOULD
NOT STOP TO ALLOW TRAFFIC WITH
THE GREEN LIGHT TO PASS. THERE
WERE.
>> MOTORCYCLISTS THAT HAD NO
TAGS. THERE WERE WHEELIES
BEING DONE BY 4 WHEELERS AND
WHEELIES BEING DONE WITH
PEOPLE PASSENGERS ON THE BACK
AND WEAVING IN AND OUT OF
TRAFFIC PUSHING A VAN OFF THE
ROAD. PRETTY MUCH GETTING IN
FRONT OF VEHICLES BOTH THIS
COUPLE AND THE WOMAN WHO FELT
LIKE SHE WAS BEING FOLLOWED.
CALL 9-1-1, TO REPORT,
RECKLESS DRIVING AT THIS
POINT, IT ALMOST BECOMES A
LOCALIZED DOMESTIC TERRORISM.
ON NEXT DOOR DOT COM. SOMEONE
WROTE, I’VE GOT NO PROBLEM
WITH THE GROUP MOTORCYCLE RIDE
AND IF THEY WANT TO ACT LIKE
THEY’RE 16 AND BREAK THEIR
NECKS, THAT’S FINE. BUT WHEN
THEY SURROUND MY FAMILY AND ME
AND START BEATING ON OUR
VEHICLE IN THREATENING MANNER,
THEY’VE CROSSED THE LINE.
THEY’RE GOING VERY FAST. AND
CITY COUNCILMAN MATT CARLUCCI
SAYS HE HAS PERSONALLY
WITNESSED THE LARGE GROUP OF
MOTORCYCLISTS PERFORMING
DANGEROUS STUNTS THROUGH
MARCO. LIKE THE ONE SEEN HERE
POPPING WHEELIES ALONG SAN
MARCO BOULEVARD AND HE SAYS
HE’S BEEN MADE AWARE OF HOW
OTHER MOTORISTS ARE BEING
TREATED WHEN THEY COMPLAIN TO
THE MOTORCYCLIST. AND I’VE HAD
PEOPLE TELL ME THAT THEY’VE
BEEN THEY’VE BEEN
>> THREATENED, THAT THEY’RE
TREATED RUDELY AS THESE PEOPLE
PARADE THROUGH THEIR
NEIGHBORHOODS. NEWS 4 JAX
LEARNED THAT THIS PAST FRIDAY
EVENING, MORE THAN 100
MOTORCYCLISTS WERE AT THIS
GATE GAS STATION IN BROOKLYN.
BUT THAT’S NOT ALL. WE WERE
TOLD. A GAS STATION EMPLOYEE
TELLS NEWS 4 JAX. THAT WAS SO
CRAZY THAT NIGHT THAT SHE
PERSONALLY WITNESS ONE OF
THOSE MOTORCYCLISTS NEARLY WON
OVER A CHILD IN THE PARKING
LOT. THEY’RE BEHAVING IN A
MANNER THAT JUST PUTS
THEMSELVES IN.
>> EVERYBODY IN DANGER MARKLE
HOMEOWNER WHO ALSO LIKES WHAT
MOTORCYCLES BUT IS CONCERNED
ABOUT WHAT HE HAS WITNESSED
NEAR HIS HOME SAYS IT WILL BE
IMPOSSIBLE FOR SINGLE POLICE
OFFICER TO STOP THE ENTIRE
GROUP WITHOUT AN ABUNDANCE OF
BACKUP. THE ONLY WAY THAT I
THINK IT STOP IT IS TO HAVE 2
POLICE OFFICERS OR SOMEBODY
SOMEHOW INFILTRATE INFILTRATE
THAT GROUP.
>> SO THEY CAN GET A PLANS TO
SET UP SO THEY CAN GET AN AREA
WHERE THEY CAN CORRAL ALL IN.
>> THE CITY COUNCILMAN MATT
CARLUCCI SAYS THIS HAS BECOME
SUCH A SERIOUS ISSUE RIGHT
NOW, BUT IT WILL LIKELY A POP
UP OR BE MENTIONED IN THE CITY
TRADE TRANSPORTATION MEETING.
HE SAYS IF THAT DOES HAPPEN,
HE SAYS HE AND OTHER COUNCIL
MEMBERS WOULD LOVE TO HAVE THE
MEMBERS OF IN ON THAT MEETING
JUST SO THEY CAN FIGURE OUT
WHAT CAN BE DONE TO STOP THIS
BEHAVIOR BEFORE SOMEONE ENDS
UP DEAD REPORTING LIVE. ERIK
AVANIER CHANNEL 4, THE LOCAL
STATION.
>>KENT JUSTICE: ERIC, DO WE
KNOW WHAT WHAT GROUP THIS IS
AND IF THESE PEOPLE ARE ALL
FROM JACKSONVILLE OR THEY JUST
WRITING HERE. WE DON’T THERE
ARE SO MOTORCYCLE GROUPS IN
THIS AREA AND ALSO THROUGHOUT
PARTS OF NORTHEAST THAT WE
CANNOT CONFIRM WHO THESE
PEOPLE ARE AND WHERE EXACTLY
THEY COME FROM. WE DO KNOW,
HOWEVER, SOME OF THE RIDERS
HAVE BEEN POSTING VIDEOS ON
YOUTUBE THAT HAVE BEEN POPPING
UP WITHIN LIKE THE LAST 24 TO
48 HOURS. AND WE SUSPECT
POLICE WILL BE USING THOSE
VIDEOS AS EVIDENCE THAT. ERIK