Police foil 'Halloween rideout' by seizing motorbikes and quads in south Leeds
Police have prevented a 'Halloween rideout' after seizing several motorbikes and quad bikes and arresting seven people in south Leeds last night.
The 'rideouts' - usually involving groups of youths who ride off-road motorcycles through residential areas - have become an annual event on Halloween night since a large-scale rideout involving 100 people caused chaos across Leeds in 2016.
Several smaller-scale copycat gatherings have taken place on subsequent Halloweens, despite the ringleaders of the original rideout being handed jail sentences. In 2019, another 'rideout' was filmed on Halloween.On Saturday night, police received numerous reports of motorbikes and quads being driven anti-socially in areas across south Leeds.
Neighbourhood officers, the Leeds district's specialist off-road motorcycle team, intercept units and the roads policing teams were all involved in the operation.
The Leeds South beat team shared photos of the seized vehicles - some of which were not road-legal - on their Facebook page.
Eight bikes were found to have been stolen, suspected as stolen or were being ridden without licences and insurance.
Seven people were arrested for a range of offences and enquiries are ongoing.