Welcome to Manteca.

Just don’t break the law — and make sure your car registration isn’t six months overdue.

The message was delivered loud and clear in the aftermath of another organized bicycle ride that got out of control and once again saw riders brazenly took over major Manteca arterials weaving in and out of traffic lanes and doing wheelies.

 Three vehicles — driven to the city-owned Spreckels BMX parking lot on Spreckels Avenue where an organized bicycle ride that got out of control started on Saturday, Feb. 21 — ended being towed and owners ticketed for registration tags that had been expired at least six months.

One vehicle hadn’t been properly registered for two years.

It was just one of the results as Manteca Police continue concentrated enforcement efforts addressing perplexing issues from street takeovers by renegade bicyclists to homeless illegally camping around the community.

Young teen bicyclist taken into

custody and his father called

Police, who were preparing to go out on a quality of life enforcement sweep involving homeless issues on Feb. 21, were informed of an organized bicycling event taking place at noon on that Saturday with the Spreckels BMX park as the starting point.

Police met with the organizer at the beginning of the ride and explained that officers were assigned to the event and if any violation were observed during their ride across the city, officers would be enforcing all violations committed.

Council members Dave Breitenbucher and Mike Morowt were joining the homeless sweep when officers got diverted to the organized ride

Around 1 p.m., riders started down Spreckels Avenue westbound, turned left onto Van Ryn and then westbound on Atherton Drive.

Juveniles were observed not wearing helmets, riders taking over entire lanes of travel, and riding reckless in the roadway.

Officers stopped, cited, and called parents to come pick up the juveniles.

One young teen, who opted not to follow police directives fled as be repeatedly shouted “f--- the police.”

Officers followed him and eventually were able to detain him. Due to his continued belligerent behavior, he was cuffed and taken to the police department along with his bicycle where officers called his father.

Police indicated the father was upset that his son was violating the law and disrespecting police. The father had his son apologize.

The teen was cited to appear in juvenile court.

His bicycle was returned. If the incident had occurred 30 or so days later after the second reading of an updated bicycling ordinance passed by the City Council on Tuesday, the bike would have been impounded and would have cost $200 to retrieve.

There were 10 citations issued to riders.

 The rest of the group continued to ride out of town and into the City of Lathrop.  

One of the organizers later called police to report his vehicle had been stolen.

It wasn’t stolen, but had been towed along with two others after police issued citations for expired tows. Bicycles with expired tags six months or more overdue are subject to being towed and impounded.

In order to retrieve impounded vehicles taken for expired registration, the owner needs to show proof of registration that requires the vehicle registration to be brought up to date plus penalties paid to the DMV.

They also must pay a $250 impound fee to Manteca Police.

Once it is released by the police, the owner must pay the tow company their towing fee plus daily storage fees.

In short, the car owners could end up paying $1,000 or more to get their vehicles back.

Morowit praised police noting officers used drones to help an eye on the riders.

The incident came six weeks after roughly 100 riders following an organized ride, opted to bicycle down the 120 Bypass freeway between Main Stret and Union Road with some doing wheelies and a few weaving along the stripes separating the right travel lane from the auxiliary lane.

Like that incident, the one on Feb. 21 was organized by a non-Manteca resident and primarily had non-local participants.

Homeless go underground

During a homeless outreach effort this week involving representatives of various agencies offering services to help the homeless, volunteers and police, homeless were discovered living underground.

One was in a hole dug into the ground and then covered mostly with dirt apparently covering material to hold it in a vacant field across the Kaiser hospital.

Near the wastewater treatment plant, the access point to an underground culvert that is part of the city’s storm drain system was missing its manhole cover and rope was in place allowing access to and from the buried culvert.

The frequent outreach isn’t an enforcement effort per se but to make the homeless aware of available services.

It was considered highly successful as they were able to get four homeless — including three illegally camping near the treatment plant — to go to the city’s emergency shelter at 555 Industrial Park Drive.

The three included a mother in her 50s and her son who Was in his early 20s.

“They were excited to be able to go to the shelter,” Morowit, who along with Breitenbucher, also participated in the outreach.

Both serve on the council’s homeless subcommittee.

“His Way (the organization the city contracts with to operate the shelter) came right and took them to the shelter,” Morowit noted.

Homeless quality of

life enforcement

The homeless sweep that took place on the day of the organized bike ride led to seven arrests, three citations, removal of illegal encampments, and the placement of a dog at the animal shelter until their owner was able to claim him after getting out of jail.

The arrests were for outstanding warrants.

Two citations were for being in parks — Northgate and the Union Road parks — after hours when they are closed to the public.

The other was for illegal camping near Kaiser.

The enforcement group came across a church group from Escalon that had set up food stations at Library Park to feed the homeless.  

They were asked to go to the shelter and provide the extra service there, but they refused. They said they prefer setting up in the park.

 Police and volunteers working with the homeless said such efforts by the church group undermines efforts to get the homeless to access 555 Industrial Park where there are beds, meals, bathrooms, showers, and other services.

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com