7 Bikers Arrested, Dozens Ticketed On Long Island
Bikers Accused Of Reckless Driving On Motorcycles, Quads
October 27, 2013 10:30 PM

DEER PARK, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) — Seven motorcyclists were arrested on reckless driving charges in Suffolk County Sunday, and dozens more were cited.

Multiple 911 callers reported between 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. that the operators of several motorcycles, dirt bikes and all-terrain vehicles were driving recklessly on Main Street in Bay Shore, on westbound Sunrise Highway in West Islip, and on Deer Park Avenue in North Babylon, Suffolk County police said.

Seven bikers were arrested, and more than 30 were ticketed, police said.

The bikers arrested were:

• Samuel Morales, 19, of Brooklyn, who was driving a 2003 motorcycle. He was seen passing cars on the right shoulder and running a red light on Pine Aire Drive in Bay Shore, and tried to flee and resist arrest after falling off his motorcycle, police said.

• Jason Coleman, 29, of Yonkers, who was arrested on Pine Aire Drive in Brentwood and accused of leaving the scene of an accident. He allegedly made an illegal U-turn in front of a 2004 Toyota sedan that hit his 2009 Yamaha motorcycle, and drove off without exchanging information with the other driver, police said.

• Tikret Cekic, 23, of Brooklyn, who allegedly ran a light on Pine Aire Drive in Bay Shore at a high rate3 of speed in an attempt to elude police;

• Joel Hernandez, 19, of Brentwood, who allegedly backed into a police vehicle on Pine Aire Drive in Bay Shore;

• Thomas Palacios, 35, of Bay Shore, who was accused of driving an ATV while drunk on Pine Aire Drive and Washington Avenue in Bay Shore;

• Matthew Valentino, 25, of East Quogue, who was accused of driving recklessly at a high speed on Udall Road in Baywood, and swerving in and out of oncoming traffic – causing other drivers to swerve off the roadway to avoid him.

• A woman whom police have not identified, who was a passenger on one of the motorcycles and allegedly attempted to flee when an officer ordered to stop.

More than 30 others were caught riding behind a Suffolk County Department of Social Services building in North Bay Shore, and were accused of trespassing, police reported.

The reported arrests came less than two weeks after Suffolk County police arrested seven bikers on similar allegations along the Long Island Expressway.

In that incident on Monday, Oct. 14, Suffolk County police told CBS 2′s Carolyn Gusoff the bikers were seen for miles driving recklessly, which frightened motorists.

“What he observed was a group of motorcyclists were weaving in and out of traffic, changing lanes rapidly without signaling, coming up dangerously close behind tailgating other vehicles,” Suffolk County Police Sgt. George Hodge told WCBS 880′s Marla Diamond.

The incident in turn came just weeks after an SUV driver was beaten in Manhattan after an altercation with bikers on the West Side Highway.

Eleven bikers have been charged with fourteen separate counts, including assault, criminal mischief and rioting, for chasing a family's black Range Rover in New York. The incident garnered national attention after a video surfaced online showing the gang of bikers surrounding the SUV, slamming against the window, dragging the male driver out and beating him. The bikers were allegedly retaliating after the driver mowed over one of the riders in attempt to get away safely.

One of the accused bikers is a 32-year-old undercover New York police officer.