By PAT EATON-ROBB Associated Press HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) _ Popping wheelies and running stop lights, ATV street riders who buzz through Connecticut cities in packs have long frustrated police, who are prohibited from chasing the riders through congested urban neighborhoods. Police are now pursuing more creative ways to stop them, setting up a hotline in Bridgeport for anonymous tips and a task force in New Haven that shares intelligence with surrounding towns to work together when a ride starts. “It really is a form of urban terrorism, what they do,” said New Haven police Officer David Hartman. “Safety concerns and the hazardous conditions they create have been a major challenge for us.” The groups of ATV and dirt bike enthusiasts gather through word of mouth or social media, much like flash mobs, and ride illegally through city streets, pulling stunts as they try to evade police. Law enforcement officers have complained about them as a menace in other cities including Philadelphia and Baltimore, where a group of riders was the subject of a popular 2013 documentary called “12 0’Clock Boys.” In Bridgeport last weekend, police made nine arrests after a pack of riders hit the streets, tearing through neighborhoods and […]
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