At least 8 people arrested amid weekend ATV, motorcycle ride outs

'Wheels Up, Guns Down' ride is MLK weekend tradition

BROWARD COUNTY, Fla. – Authorities in Broward County arrested at least eight people this weekend as ATV and dirt bike riders took to South Florida roadways as part of the annual "Wheels Up, Guns Down" ride outs.

Hundreds of ATV and dirt bike riders hit South Florida roadways during the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday weekend each year, despite warnings from local law enforcement agencies. It is illegal to ride ATVs and dirt bikes on major roadways, and many riders often perform dangerous stunts during the ride outs.

While most riders remain peaceful, others cause considerable danger on the roads, leading police to make moves to stop the rides.

The Broward Sheriff's Office identified the men arrested as Tevin Mathews, 24, Joseph Keys Jr., 26, Toriano Crafton, 24, Avery Kelly, 32, and Shawn Stracker, 31.

Officials said Mathews struck a deputy with his ATV. That deputy's injuries were described as non-life-threatening.

In West Park, deputies were investigating ATV activity about 3 p.m. Sunday when two people interfered with an investigation, said Joy Oglesby, a spokeswoman for the BSO.

Deputies arrested the two who allegedly interfered, along with a driver of an ATV. The man and woman face a charge of battery on a law enforcement officer. The three people were identified by the BSO as Duewayne Dixon, 26, Jessie Hernandez, 39, and Francheska Turuell, 37.

"Our deputies continue to track and intercept, when safe, riders who illegally have ATVs or dirt bikes on public roads," the BSO said in a tweet.