Miller says police activity was on par with the 2007 Hollister
Motorcycle Rally, while there were no serious injuries on the
roads
Also with this story, a photo gallery of the rally.
Coming soon: an audio slideshow of the rally.
The amount of police enforcement at this year’s Hollister Motorcycle Rally was on par with 2007, while there were no serious injuries on the roads and one “major incident” involving shots being fired early Sunday morning at a Monterey Street home, Police Chief Jeff Miller said Monday.
Miller did, however, note a concern that the associations among outlaw motorcycle gangs and local street gangs “seem to be growing.” The chief pointed to the shots fired at the house and said motorcycle gang members – who police suspect were partying with known street gang members – “took off” before authorities arrived to the scene.
“Some outlaw motorcycle gang members and our street gang members seem to be partying together,” Miller said.
The police department did not have official arrest numbers Monday, and Miller said they probably won’t be ready for public release until next week.
Among several outside agencies working at the rally this weekend, the California Highway Patrol on Monday did not have citation or arrest numbers available, and a spokesman at the Hollister-Gilroy office said to expect them by Wednesday or Thursday.
Miller commended officers’ work throughout the weekend and said the collaboration – including “new lines of communication – worked well again this year.
Miller, speaking in general terms, expects around the same number of arrests and citations a year after those numbers dropped significantly to coincide with a revised rally layout replacing motorcycles with vendors on San Benito Street.
Miller also noted the following about this year: The number of driving while under the influence tickets likely increased in 2008, and two motorcycles were reported stolen over the weekend.
