St. Louis police say daredevil motorcyclists turning violent

ST. LOUIS -- For nearly a decade, extreme motorcyclists have been causing concern for St. Louis area motorists, popping wheelies, standing on bikes, zipping in and out of traffic.

Now, authorities say, some are turning violent.

"This is something new," Missouri State Highway Patrol Sgt. Al Nothum said.

Twice last week, daredevil cyclists were accused of violent acts. On Oct. 28, a sports utility vehicle driver near the city's Soulard area reported that dozens of motorcyclists surrounded her vehicle and threw a brick through the back window.

Earlier that day, in Maryland Heights, a man on Interstate 270 phoned 911 for help. The motorcycles sped by and the man's daughter cried as he told police that about 50 bikers were harassing him, and some were kicking his car.

Moments later, another 911 call came in from a separate motorist driving nearby -- she had apparently watched the ordeal.

"Is somebody coming?" the woman asked the dispatcher. "They're kicking this guy's car."

Maryland Heights officer Kevin Stewart said catching the group would have been difficult. Police typically will not participate in a high-speed chase for traffic violations. The best bet, they said, is to get a license plate.

Stewart agreed that daredevil cyclists, while an annoyance, have not been violent in the past.

"Occasionally we'll have groups of bikers coming through pretty fast and doing wheelies, and they'll have guys filming them," Stewart said. "But we haven't encountered anything like what happened last weekend."

No arrests have been made in either case.

One group makes no secret about its daredevil theatrics. Streetfighterz, based in St. Louis, releases w DVDs of stunt cyclists on area roads and highways.

In August 2004, Streetfighterz's activities were scrutinized after a serious crash on Highway 364 in Maryland Heights. A 16-year-old boy followed four bikers popping wheelies over the Missouri River bridge. He hit a Chevrolet Suburban and injured eight friends heading to a concert.

None of the cyclists involved in the 2004 crash was identified. Streetfighterz denied being involved.

Streetfighterz also denied involvement in the two recent acts of violence. Team owner James Vaughn, 33, said the group was performing in Atlanta at the time.

He concedes the group has pulled some dangerous stunts but said his group's members didn't kick cars or throw bricks.

"I'd be an idiot to think that we weren't in some way bothering traffic," he said. "But we've never intentionally ran anyone off the road or hit another car or kicked a window or threw a rock at anybody or done anything like that. ... Someone who did that would be an idiot."

Nothum said the bikers he spoke with claimed that they didn't cause trouble and that the risks they took didn't jeopardize other motorists.

"But they do," Nothum said. "They're a distraction, is what they are. And if they wreck, we have to spend our time cleaning up a mess."