3 bikers arrested after blocking I-25 in Denver during July ride

DENVER – Three of the motorcyclists accused of blocking off traffic on I-25 near University Boulevard in late July have been arrested and two of their motorcycles seized.

Richard Patton, 33, and Clinton Hawkins, 27, both of Colorado Springs, are being held for investigation on reckless driving and exhibition of speed warrants and are expected to be extradited to Denver to face charges.

Both of their motorcycles have been impounded, Denver Police said Tuesday.

Ryan Easton, 29, of Pueblo, also faces the same misdemeanor traffic charges and will likely be extradited to Denver as well.

Police issued an alert days after the incident in hopes of identifying some of the hundreds of bikers who took part in the “Kill da Streetz” ride, which stopped traffic on the interstate as the bikers performed wheelies and donuts in the middle of the road.

“People look at it and went, ‘what a stupid thing to do,'” said Bob Frank, owner of Black Bag who has been a safety rider coach for 15 years.

Police said videos posted on social media helped them crack the case and lead to the arrests.

“Ultimately, searching records for license plate numbers,” said Lt. Robert Rock with the Denver Police Traffic Investigation Unit. “The risk is extreme. When you are doing stuff like this on a highway, there’s no other place where people are driving faster.”

Rock said the rider’s motorcycles could now be impounded for a year or even crushed.

“It’s one of those things they say the chickens come home to roost. I don’t think they were planning on it happening when they did the civil disobedience that they did,” said Frank.

The group has said the event originated in an attempt to raise awareness for biker safety, but Frank said that message got lost in all the chaos.

“It’s a bigger issue. We’ve had more fatalities in Colorado than ever,” he said. “It’s the wrong way to call attention to that issue.”