Detectives from the Queens DA’s office and the NYPD confiscated nearly a hundred scooters and mopeds during an overnight sweep in five western Queens neighborhoods. Courtesy of DA’s office
May 13, 2024 By Bill Parry
The NYPD seized nearly a hundred illegal scooters and mopeds off the streets of Long Island City, Corona and Elmhurst as part of an ongoing crackdown across Western Queens in collaboration with the Queens District Attorney’s office.
The latest joint operation in Patrol Borough Queens North began on the overnight of Wednesday into the morning of Thursday, May 9, to address the persistent use of scooters in crimes such as drive-by shootings and robberies with searches at five locations in the confines of the 114th Precinct in Astoria and the 110th Precinct in Elmhurst.
A total of 412 scooters and mopeds have been confiscated since the start of the joint operation in February.
“Unregistered scooters are not only illegal but they are also being used to commit violent crimes, including shootings and robberies, without any accountability or ability to identify the culprit,” Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said.
The bikes are also notorious for being involved in traffic collisions and other mayhem, officials said, which also prompted the operation. Detectives from the DA’s office joined cops from both precincts to seize 95 scooters and mopeds that were all parked illegally and 71 were unregistered and uninsured.
“Through our proactive enforcement efforts in collaboration with the NYPD, we have taken more than 400 of these illegal vehicles off our streets, enhancing safety and security for our communities,” Katz said. “Our proactive enforcement efforts will continue to ensure compliance and eradicate the public threat they pose.”
Katz added that additional joint operations are planned in Queens as part of an enforcement effort to get illegal motorized scooters and mopeds off the road.
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