ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Albuquerque police are launching a crackdown on off-road vehicles being driven on streets and highways.
Police officials announced Monday that officers are being instructed to cite and tow all off-road vehicles being driven illegally, with no exceptions.
Police noted that a 7-year-old boy was killed when struck by an illegal off-road vehicle on a city street earlier this month as his family used a crosswalk. An arrest warrant has been issued for a 27-year-old man in that case.
Deputy Chief Mike Smathers said police have noticed an increase in off-highway vehicles being driven on city streets over the past year.
Nick Wheeler, another police official, said police have observed off-road vehicles being driven in packs, some even driving on sidewalks and forcing pedestrians to move out of the way.
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Wheeler acknowledged that efforts to cite drivers have fallen short in the past.
“They can go places where police patrol vehicles can’t go,” Wheeler said of off-road vehicles.
To date, officers have issued no citations for their use on city streets, he said, adding, “everything we’ve tried to do to stop them has failed.”
Smathers said enforcement efforts will include use of aircraft and off-road vehicles to track off-road vehicles rying to flee.
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