COPS USE NETS TO NAB ‘BROADWAY BOMB’ SKATEBOARDERS ON UPPER WEST SIDE

Posted on October 12, 2013 at 9:49 pm by West Sider

Police officers strung nets across Broadway on Saturday, and arrested several skateboarders who were rolling down Broadway en masse as part of the annual “Broadway Bomb.” The ride is illegal because the skateboarders didn’t have a permit, although the level of police enforcement has varied in the past. Of course, it didn’t help the skateboarders that police are on edge following the biker beatdown two weeks ago on the Henry Hudson Parkway. “Locals felt the all out push by police to break up the skateboarders was in response to the motorcycle gang beating,” Upper West Sider Allan Margolin told us.

The riders didn’t have a permit this year, and some got caught in the nets.

By some accounts, there were as many as 1500 or more skateboarders in the bomb, an 8 mile ride from 116th street to the Wall Street bull downtown.

The Epoch Times said the police force massed around 105th: “[T]he NYPD arrived beforehand with a barricade on 105th street, a helicopter, and squads of men in blue. The skateboarders were frustrated, but carried on by attempting to redirect the route down Amsterdam Avenue.”

From photos and videos of the event, it’s clear that they didn’t stay on Riverside for long. The video below shows a seemingly endless group of skateboarders flying down Broadway at around 77th street.


Photo by Allan Margolin.

Gothamist has photos of the nets, and reported that at one point they were placed at about 108th street.

More photos here.

Thanks to Ken and Allan for the tips.

NEWS | 11 comments | permalink
    1. denton says:
      October 13, 2013 at 7:27 am

      Yeah that kid getting arrested really looks like the equivalent of a biker gang.

    2. Lmo says:
      October 15, 2013 at 12:02 am

      Yeah, this is probably the lowest crime on the totem pole. Good job, police, wasting your time and talents to arrest these kids who are just having a memorable and utterly exhilerating 20 minute ride down Broadway when there are cars being broken into on Riverside, graffiti being painted and stuck on everything, personal property being stolen, threats of violence being screamed (to the point of it being scary to walk down Broadway very often), homeless folks with mental issues spitting, cursing, threatening, I could go on…and you’re arresting teenagers on skateboards?). Pitiful use of your time.

    3. Nick says:
      October 15, 2013 at 5:20 pm

      This is fucking disgusting. The police are disgusting.

    4. Arnie says:
      October 15, 2013 at 5:21 pm

      Fascist thugs assaulting kids on skateboards. What the fuck is wrong with people today.

    5. Joe says:
      October 15, 2013 at 5:23 pm

      A helicopter. A helicopter to respond to kids on skateboards. The cowardice and thuggery of Bloomberg’s NYPD is limitless.

    6. Rosie says:
      October 16, 2013 at 11:56 am

      Have you considered the disruption to traffic and businesses caused by that many skateboarders and the increased possibility of accidents for the skateboarders and pedestrians? It is a public safety issue; it is not about police bullies, etc. It is the skateboarders who ignoring the well being of the community.

    7. Ken says:
      October 16, 2013 at 2:20 pm

      If any of these kids had been flattened by one of the maniacs who regularly blow through the yellow lights at 86th and 79th at Broadway doing 50 MPH – I suspect we’d be seeing a different perspective presented in these comments. It is not exactly like the Bombers were stopping at red lights.

      Also – some of the ‘kids’ I saw being arrested at the police’s W91st street corral looked to be in their 30’s. Just saying.

    8. Amy says:
      October 16, 2013 at 4:32 pm

      I always get a kick out of watching the skaters go by. Would rather NYPD spent their resources and energy on real crime. This is silly.

    9. Sean says:
      October 17, 2013 at 1:58 pm

      These douchbags didn’t stop for red lights and had no hesitation in blowing through crosswalks when families and elder people were crossing. I actually saw a few guys hit a baby carriage. No one is against fun, but that’s uncool. You have a better chance of crossing 5th avenue during the columbus day parade than you do broadway during the skater fiesta.

    10. victoria says:
      October 17, 2013 at 4:25 pm

      i have two sons, one that gets stopped constantly on his way to work on his motorcycle.. and the other son gets chased down broadway on his longboard….the sad thing is that these kids are growing up thinking the cops are the enemy….very sad…

    11. Megan says:
      October 25, 2013 at 12:54 am

      What about the kids on the dirt bikes that ride up columbus ave with no helmets?! Why don’t they do this and catch them?