Dirt bike, scooter and quad riders at the intersection of Auckland's Penrose Rd and Mt Wellington Highway on Tuesday.
Video / Supplied
Police are hunting hundreds of bikers who caused mayhem today across Auckland’s roads, attacking a car with knives and helmets, and intimidating motorists who say they were terrified and “freaked out” by the lawless behaviour.
Bikes of all different kinds have been spotted causing havoc on Mount Wellington Highway this afternoon.
Police say the bikers swarmed a car, leaving a woman shaken and upset.
A man who saw the event unfold told Stuff the bikers targeted a single car and attempted to slash its tyres and used their helmets to dent the windows of the car.
A police spokesperson said police were called to the scene near Sylvia Park about 3.25pm after reports of an incident involving a large group of dirt bikers and another vehicle.
The group left the vehicle badly damaged, and the driver was uninjured but “very shaken”.
A witness who didn’t want to be named told the Herald her car was “surrounded by a whole lot of men on bikes that really couldn’t care less about anyone else on the road”.
“The light turned green and there was no way I was going to drive through it as they were blocking the way,” she said.
“I was a single young woman in my car alone, and I was freaked out.”
A worker at the Mount Wellington Caltex told the Herald that scooters, quad bikes, dirt bikes and other types of motorbikes were weaving in and out between cars, scaring motorists in dense traffic.
Police are now working to identify those involved, and are asking any witnesses to come forward.
“We’d also like to hear from anyone who might have captured the incident on video, or who might have dashcam footage of it,” the spokesperson said.
“If you can help, please call 105 and quote event number P054428578.”
The Herald understands bike riders were also terrorising Pakuranga residents today.
One witness said the bikes caused drivers to slam on their brakes and were cutting people off as they went through red lights.
A gang of dirt bike riders were filmed riding in Pakuranga, with some not wearing helmets and others popping 'wheelies'.
Earlier this month, police made a desperate plea for information after more than 100 off-road dirt bikers drove recklessly through the East Auckland suburb of Botany Downs.
It followed a resident’s filming of an incident in a South Auckland suburb where more than 100 riders were doing wheelies and some swerved into the opposite lane.
“I’ve seen this before, where lots of people on dirt bikes go through the streets, doing wheelies and such, [with] no helmets or protection... but I’ve never seen this many before. They just kept coming.
Police have attempted to crack down on illegal dirt bikes as they continue to plague residents across the country. Photo / File
“There were even a few people on [quad bikes] this time; I’d never seen that before,” a resident told 1News.
The man said he had seen groups of dirt bike riders getting together over summer and on holidays such as Christmas, and figured they organised again for Easter Sunday.
A video was circulating on social media at the beginning of this year showing around 100 dirt bike riders driving recklessly along Tamaki Drive in Kohimarama, Auckland, on New Year’s Eve.
A police spokesperson said it is a challenging type of behaviour for police to deal with due to safety concerns for other road users and the riders themselves.
Dangerous dirt bike riding has been an issue across Auckland that has frustrated residents for some time. Image / File
Police said it was incredibly frustrating for them and the public, as the group had no regard for the safety of others and their riding was putting lives at risk.
“It is completely unacceptable behaviour,” they said.
“Police regularly follow up to hold those involved to account and either issue them with infringement notices or charge them with driving offences, but the message does not seem to be getting through.
“It is illegal to ride a dirt bike on the road unless it is roadworthy with a current warrant and registration. Anyone riding a bike with an engine capacity above 50cc needs to have a motorbike licence.”
“The last thing we want is to have one of these riders cause a crash and injure or kill a member of the public.”
