Dirt bikers cause havoc at Rum Point, nearly strike children on sand

North Side beachgoers, including children, were nearly struck by an illegal dirt bike rider who was attempting to flee police on Sunday, the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service said Tuesday.

Police said six motorbike riders were spotted in the eastern districts on the main thoroughfares earlier in the day, popping wheelies and revving their engines. The group ended up at Rum Point.

Police officers were called to the area, but the six riders sped off in different directions after officers arrived.

“One of the riders rode onto the beach, where it is reported that he nearly struck people and children on the sand,” a statement issued by the RCIPS read. “The rider was not pursued onto the sand, but spontaneously rode in that direction on his own.”

After the group dispersed from the Rum Point area, police were unable trace them further and no arrests were reported as of Tuesday press time. No injuries were reported.

The RCIPS asked anyone who may have recorded videos on their mobile phones of the Rum Point incident Sunday afternoon to provide those to the police.

Police have been cracking down on illegal motorbikes since late last year when nearly 100 riders tore through the streets of Grand Cayman, disobeying traffic laws and disturbing the peace in a “ride of the century” event.

Since January, at least two dozen motorbikes have been seized and five of their riders are facing various charges in Traffic Court. However, the RCIPS has not obtained a conviction in any of the matters before the court so far.

Four of the five suspects were arrested since December on allegations of dangerous driving, as well as such offenses as driving while disqualified, having no vehicle registration, having an expired registration, or driving without insurance. Their matters are still pending.

The fifth suspect was ticketed for driving without being qualified and using an unregistered vehicle.

One of the five suspects is facing more serious charges in criminal court, so his Traffic Court matters are awaiting the outcome of the other cases.

Police said last month that five of the confiscated bikes have been returned to their owners. “We cannot retain the defendant’s property indefinitely as a given case moves through the entire court process,” a statement from the RCIPS Traffic Unit read. “We have the ability to retain the property while the case is being investigated and the property is germane to those inquiries. Once those inquiries have completed, the property is returned on the defendant’s request.”

RCIPS spokeswoman Jackie Carpenter said police are storing the remainder of the seized bikes and said the department believes its enforcement strategies are leading to fewer illegal vehicles on the streets. She said the department has recorded “substantially fewer” complaints about rowdy or non-street-legal motorbikes since December.