Chaotic scenes were captured on video of a chase between police and a number of people on bikes.
Officers on patrol on Childwall Road in Wavertree saw a number of bikes being ridden anti-socially and at speed just before 8.45pm. Police said the vehicles were followed by officers to the junction of Woolton Road and Queens Drive in Wavertree where they went through red lights.
In the video, which has been shared widely on social media, it begins by showing a number of people on bikes, with another person on a red moped at the traffic lights at the junction of Queens Drive and Woolton Road. A number of police cars can be seen behind the bikes before around five of them speed away down Queens Drive.
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Two of the bikes turn right down Woolton Road, away from the police cars. At around 10 seconds into the clip, a man wearing a face covering and sunglasses comes back into view and drives his bike down Queens Drive facing incoming traffic.
The video also captures the two police vehicles carrying out a U-turn around the traffic the lights. Other cars waiting to go through the lights can be seen at a standstill. The police cars stop at the junction of Queens Drive and Woolton Road where two police officers get out.
One person can be seen running away from the scene on foot. The two police officers then begin chasing the man on the red moped, who is running alongside the vehicle.
The police officers can be seen in the footage with their arms outstretched and can be seen pointing something at the man, which police confirmed was a Taser. The chaotic video then shows the man jumping back on the moped and riding along the pavement at speed as the police officers stop running.
A spokesperson for Merseyside Police said during the incident, a red moped with two men fell to the floor after the vehicle mounted the pavement. Officers attempted to detain the men, deploying a Taser. The men left the scene, one on the moped, and enquiries are ongoing to identify and locate them.
One person who shared the video on social media described the scenes as "Grand Theft Auto on the streets of Liverpool." Roads Policing Inspector Stuart McIver said: “We know how frustrating the anti-social use of off road bikes and mopeds can be for our communities.
“The offenders who ride them anti-socially not only pose a threat to other road users and pedestrians, they risk their own safety by riding too fast, through red lights and often without a helmet. We attend reports of incidents to attempt to prevent those on the bikes from posing any further risk, and have at our disposal a range of tools to do this including our own off road bikes and quad bikes, stop sticks, the assistance of the National Police Air Service.
“In recent incident we have made arrests and seized off-road bikes and we will continue to do so. Anyone riding these vehicles anti-socially in Merseyside should expect to be dealt with by police in a robust manner.
“Those who are looking to use our roads and enjoy our open spaces sensibly and safely should not have to be confronted with anti-social behaviour of any kind, and I want to reassure those affected that we will continue to work tirelessly to prevent such incidents from occurring.
“Through our year-round Operation Brookdale, we work with partners from Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service (MFRS), the National Police Air Service (NPAS), local authorities, housing associations, schools and youth groups to target the anti-social and nuisance use of off-road bikes. Since it began in 2012, the operation has helped achieve year-on-year decreases in reports of anti-social behaviour and nuisance involving off-road motorbikes across Merseyside and we will make sure that work continues.
“Finally, I want to appeal to the communities affected to let us know where bikes are being stored before they get out on our streets. I would appeal to anyone with information about illegal or nuisance scrambler bikes in their areas to get in touch with us and I can assure them that we will take action."
Anyone with information on the illegal and nuisance use of off-road bikes in their community is encouraged to contact @MerPolCC, call 101 or @CrimestoppersUK anonymously on 0800 555 111 #OpBrookdale.
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