Authorities are trying to identify those in a group of 50 to 100 motorcycle and dirt bike riders who surrounded a Maryland state trooper in a marked SUV on Sunday afternoon on the Capital Beltway. The incident occurred around 4 p.m. on the outer loop of the Beltway near Route 201 in Prince George’s County. The trooper, who was off duty at the time, was driving a marked Ford Explorer when the riders surrounded his vehicle.
“They surrounded him and slowed down,” said Greg Shipley, a spokesman for the Maryland State Police.
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It caused the trooper to slow his speed as he called other troopers for help. When other troopers arrived, Shipley said, the riders left, with some of them going the wrong way on the Beltway.
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The license plates of the motorcycles were either not visible or were deliberately hidden, he said.
The state police’s College Park barracks had received calls Sunday afternoon about “reckless operations” of motorcycles and dirt bikes on the Beltway near Interstate 95.
No one was injured, and the trooper’s vehicle was not damaged.
The troopers did not pursue the group, Shipley said, but “stops were attempted.”
“They dispersed immediately as the troopers approached the area,” he said.
Large groups of motorcyclists and dirt bike riders interrupting traffic on local roadways have been a problem in the Beltway and other roads. It is often hard for authorities to pursue motorcycles because they can speed through traffic.
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