A dangerous motorcycle gathering, coordinated via social media, ended yesterday afternoon with a massive intervention by the Guardia Civil in Valencia. The operation has so far resulted in six arrests, including a 16-year-old minor, and the apprehension of another 12-year-old child riding one of the endangered motorcycles.
The incidents began around 6:00 PM when the emergency number 112 was overwhelmed with calls from numerous terrified drivers. Citizens reported a compact group of about 25 motorcycles, most without license plates, traveling on the A-7 highway near the municipality of Torrent. Witnesses described the group riding recklessly, deliberately blocking traffic, and performing dangerous stunts like "wheelies" at high speeds.
The Traffic Subsector Operations Center of Valencia (COTA), in direct coordination with the provincial Traffic Management Center, immediately activated a complex tracking and interception operation involving multiple patrols. Twenty minutes after the first alert, officers managed to intercept the convoy on the CV-35 road, near L’Eliana.
Despite clear and luminous stop signals from the Guardia Civil, the motorcyclists ignored official orders. Instead of stopping, several members of the group charged directly at the police line. During the violent altercation, a Lieutenant suffered minor injuries from being run over, and an official Civil Guard vehicle was completely destroyed and rendered unusable.
To apprehend the remaining fugitives, the Valencia Command urgently deployed the Citizen Security Unit (USECIC) and several patrols from the Llíria Company. The police cordon proved effective shortly after in the industrial estate of Llíria, where officers caught a van attempting to hastily load several of the involved motorcycles to flee the area unnoticed. Five more individuals were arrested there, confirming one of them was the 16-year-old minor.
Almost simultaneously, a patrol from the Valencia-A Detachment intercepted a mere 12-year-old boy at one of the CV-35 access points leading to the aforementioned industrial estate. The minor was an active participant in the criminal convoy and was riding one of the motorcycles, leading to his immediate detention and placement under his parents' care.
The Guardia Civil's Road Accident Investigation Unit, along with the Traffic Investigation and Analysis Group (GIAT), has initiated criminal proceedings for a severe range of offenses. The individuals face charges not only for reckless driving (punishable by up to 2 years in prison) and driving under the influence of drugs, but also for assaulting a law enforcement officer, serious disobedience, document forgery, and the alleged commission of a criminal group offense due to their coordinated criminal organization, which could significantly increase prison sentences.
To date, authorities have preemptively seized eight motorcycles, a transport van, and various mobile devices that will be crucial for data extraction and social media tracing. All seized items and detainees have been handed over to the Court of Instruction on duty in Llíria. The GIAT continues its investigation and warns that further arrests are not ruled out in the coming days.
