TORONTO — Ontario Provincial Police are appealing to the public to help them track down a large group of motorcyclists who caused "major traffic disruptions" on Toronto-area highways on Sunday.
Police say they received numerous complaints about dozens of riders driving in an aggressive manner and coming to a full stop on the highways to perform various stunts and wheelies between 12:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m..
Sgt. Kerry Schmidt said the large group was seen on all major highways in the Toronto area, including the 401, 403, 409, Queen Elizabeth Way, Gardiner Expressway and Don Valley Parkway.
"Not only were they across all lanes of traffic, driving on the shoulders, they actually came to a dead stop on the highways," said Schmidt in a video posted on social media.
He said coming to a full stop was "incredibly dangerous" for drivers and doing so intentionally was "on the verge of criminal activity."
Schmidt said the OPP is appealing to anyone with dash cam videos or photographs of the motorcyclists to turn them over to help officers identify them and also urged the motorcyclist to get a lawyer and contact police.
"This is not cool. These guys may think they're showing how powerful they are by hiding in a group, but this is something that is serious and could result in serious consequences," Schmidt said.
Provincial police laid charges in March following similar incidents on Toronto-area highways in 2016.
A man died on July 23, 2016 when he collided with a transport truck as a group of motorcyclists travelling together on Highway 401 slowed traffic while performing stunts.
A group of motorcyclists also slowed traffic and performed stunts on Highway 427 on Sept. 22, 2016.
Police executed six search warrants throughout the Toronto area, seizing four motorcycles and arresting five people.
The Canadian Press
