Baltimore Police detectives seized nine dirt bikes and ATVs from a gathering at Herring Run Park on Sunday and are seeking to pursue criminal and traffic-related charges against those who operated them illegally.

The bust came shortly after community members tipped off the department. Authorities said the bikes were confiscated as riders tried to flee.

Police are still investigating the operators. On Monday, detectives were preparing to execute a search and seizure warrant in connection to the investigation, police said in a news release.

Two additional dirt bikes or ATVs were also seized over the weekend.

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Authorities have been working to address illegal operations of bikes and vehicles throughout the city as communities have raised issues of safety and noise pollution.

The Baltimore City State’s Attorney’s Office said it brought charges in 11 dirt bike cases in 2024. The city’s Police Department has also created a task force dedicated to tackling the problem.

Those efforts have led police to impose fines of anywhere from $250 to $1,000 on businesses that permit dirt bikes to fuel up at their establishments. The department also established a tip line that residents can call to report illegal riding.

Dirt bike riding is illegal on all public or private property in the city and is currently punishable by a fine of up to $1,000 and 90 days in jail.

During a police accountability board meeting earlier this month, Police Commissioner Richard Worley said illegal dirt bike riding was “a problem that we’ve been dealing with since I was an officer 25 years ago in the Western [District].”

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While Worley said he sent a captain to Philadelphia to study its police department’s response to dirt biking in that city, he could not dedicate dozens of officers, as Philadelphia has done, to dirt bike enforcement.

“The biggest thing is we try to look at social media, we know where the meetups are at,” Worley said. “If we really want to put a dent into it, we’re going to need a stiffer sentence for riding these dirt bikes.”

Police asked anyone with information about illegally stored or operated dirt bikes and ATVs in Baltimore City to contact the Dirt Bike Tip Line at 443-902-4474 or DirtBikeTips@baltimorepolice.org.