A child on a bicycle is fighting for life after being struck by an all-terrain vehicle Saturday evening at 14th Street and Chapin Street NW, in a hit-and-run that has rattled a busy slice of Northwest Washington. Emergency crews treated the child at the scene before rushing him to a hospital with critical injuries. Police say the ATV driver took off, leaving behind a mangled bike, a devastated block, and a major investigation, as per WJLA.
Officers were called to the intersection around 6:52 p.m. on April 4 and found the child “unconscious but breathing,” before he was transported to the hospital in critical condition, according to WJLA. The ATV operator sped off after the collision. Police describe the suspect as a man with dreadlocks, dressed in all black, riding a lime-green-and-white ATV, the station reported. Investigators are urging anyone who saw what happened or has video to come forward.
Police Ask For Tips
The Metropolitan Police Department is asking witnesses or anyone with footage of the crash or the ATV to call the Command Information Center at (202) 727-9099 or text tips to 50411, per department guidance. “All Terrain Vehicles and Dirt Bikes don’t belong on city streets,” the department’s off-road safety materials say, according to the Metropolitan Police Department. Any photos, videos, or eyewitness accounts could help detectives nail down the ATV and the man who was riding it.
ATV Riding Has Been A Recurring Problem
Illegal ATV and dirt-bike riding has been a thorn in D.C.’s side for years. Police have seized and destroyed unregistered machines in past enforcement sweeps, as reported by the Washington Post. More recent high-profile run-ins, including a U Street case that led to a three-year sentence for a rider who struck officers, highlight how dangerous these off-road machines can become once they hit city pavement…