ST. LOUIS — Police will be paying close attention to the roads across the St. Louis region as hundreds of motorcyclists converge downtown this weekend.
It's all for an annual event called Ride of the Century, where bikers come to show off on the streets.
Some riders who do illegal tricks on the highways and streets have given the ride a bad reputation. This year, the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department has come up with a plan to keep people safe.
In a statement, the department said, "This event traditionally brings large groups of ATVs and motorcycles into the City and the surrounding areas. And in the past, some members participating in the event were observed performing dangerous stunts on public roadways, blocking traffic, and taunting/evading law enforcement while operating their motorcycles and ATVs in a reckless manner."
In 2018, several videos of illegal stunts and road rage incidents were cycled through social media, including cell phone video of a biker punching a man in downtown St. Louis.
Police went on to say such behavior is against the law, and they plan to arrest those in violation and tow any vehicles involved.
This year, the department will have more patrols in the high activity areas, specifically Downtown. "As always, we will enforce traffic laws when possible, as the safety of our citizens and visitors to the St. Louis area is always our top priority," they added.