Man and teenager arrested after reports of e-bikes being driven dangerously in Belfast

A man and a teenager have been arrested after reports of electric bikes being driven dangerously and at high speed in west Belfast, the Police Service of Northern Ireland has said.Officers were called after three Surron-style electric bikes were seen driving dangerously on Saturday night.District Cmdr Supt Mark Conway said a stinger device was subsequently deployed on all three.However, while one of the e-bikes was then abandoned, the remaining two riders continued driving at speed towards Belfast city centre and on to the West Link, city-bound.READ MORE“One of the riders came off their bike and was picked up as a passenger by the other rider, with both then travelling against the flow of the traffic on the same bike,” said Conway.“Thankfully, our officers were able to stop the e-bike safely, without any further incident. While this was ongoing, the West Link was closed for a time to allow emergency services and collision procedures to be completed. It was reopened again in the early hours of this morning, Sunday, September 20th.”A 17-year-old male juvenile and a 20-year-old man were subsequently arrested on suspicion of aggravated vehicle-taking, in which a vehicle is driven dangerously.The 20-year-old was further arrested on suspicion of causing grievous bodily injury by dangerous driving, carrying an unauthorised passenger on a motor bicycle, failing to stop for police and other driving-related offences, including using a motor vehicle without insurance.Both were taken to hospital for precautionary assessment following the collision and remain in police custody.“The actions of our officers last night no doubt prevented further immediate danger to road users and avoided what could have been another potential tragedy on our roads,” added Conway. – PA