The Sturgis Motorcycle Rally kicks off this weekend and hundreds of thousands of bikers are pouring into the city for this year’s 80th annual event. Given the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, many on social media have mixed reactions to the highly populated gathering in South Dakota.
Over the course of the 10-day event, organizers expect 250,000 people from all over the country to come to Sturgis. Since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, the rally marks the largest public gathering.
In years past, around half a million people typically attended the event. Despite half the normal attendance, this year’s crime numbers remain consistent with last year’s.
The rally saw a number of other dangerous events. According to Sunday’s statistics from the South Dakota Department of Public Safety, the authorities made several DUI and drug-related arrests. At this time, police arrested 26 people for driving under the influence, Argus Leader reports.
Law enforcement officers arrested 58 people on misdemeanor and felony drug charges. The number of arrests comes in just over last year’s number with 54 people arrested.
Furthermore, the rally saw a number of crashes. While no fatal crashes happened yet, 12 injury crashes have occurred. Keep scrolling to check out what the 2020 Sturgis Motorcycle Rally looks like.
