ST. LOUIS (KMOX) - The annual gathering of stunt motorcyclists in St. Louis came and went this weekend with one shooting reportedly connected to the riders. Saturday was the "Ride of the Century" where hundreds of high-speed bikes, ATVs and motorcycles of all kinds gather in St. Louis and trek the streets and highways doing wheelies, burning tires and performing other stunts.
Between the Missouri Highway Patrol, St. Louis County Police Department and St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department there was one shooting connected to the event and several reports of reckless driving, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
The shooting happened outside The Off Track Saloon in south St. Louis on Saturday night. A 28-year-old man told police he pulled out a gun when the crowd "turned on him" as he was trying to defend an older man who was involved in a crash. He dropped the gun and another man picked it up and shot himself in the thigh, police say.
The 31-year-old man who fired the shot was taken to a hospital in stable condition. The man who dropped the gun suffered bruised to his head and face in the incident.
One rider posted a short film showing highlights of the riders doing stunts and wheelies right past St. Louis police vehicles. It also shows a massive gathering of ATVs and motorcycles at the location of the shooting that took place Saturday night:
Streetfighterz Productions in St. Louis hosts the annual event, that's billed as one of the largest sportsbike rides in the U.S.
St. Louis police posted a message on social media Friday afternoon before the weekend event to let the public know. They said they'd be "monitoring" the Ride of the Century.
"Operating ATVs on City streets/recklessly driving motor vehicles (incl. motorcycles) is against the law," police stated. "Violators are subject to arrest/the towing of the ATV/motorcycle."
© 2021 KMOX (Audacy). All rights reserved
LISTEN on the Audacy App
Follow KMOX
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram