Police say a woman was brutally beaten by ATV and dirt-bike riders in a Rhode Island road rage incident, after she honked at the group for refusing to move on two green traffic lights in Providence.
Authorities arrested a 24-year-old woman in connection with the incident on Thursday, and more arrests and charges are expected in the coming days.
The attack happened at approximately 11 p.m. Tuesday, according to a police report obtained by multiple local outlets.
The victim, 35, told police that she was in her car with her daughter, 8, when they encountered a group of about 10 riders at a traffic light in Providence.
The woman says she was stuck behind the group for two green traffic lights, and that she eventually honked her horn to get them moving. She then turned onto a side street.
The riders caught up to her, surrounded her with their vehicles, opened her door and then dragged her out of the car, according to the police report. They allegedly beat her up at the scene and then drove away.
Witness footage obtained by ABC6 appears to show several riders beating the woman on the ground. Some of them can be seen wearing masks.
The video includes separate footage of the riders performing stunts on their vehicles at night.
WARNING: The following video contains scenes of violence. Please watch at your own discretion.
The victim’s identity and the extent of her injuries have not been released.
Shyanne Boisvert, 24, of North Providence was arrested Thursday in connection with the attack, according to police. She appeared in court on Friday to face charges of simple assault and disorderly conduct.
Boisvert was previously arrested in January after Cranston police chased down a group of 30 stunt drivers, the Providence Journal reports. Boisvert blocked traffic with her motorcycle and pushed a police officer during that incident. She was ultimately sentenced to community service and one year of probation for reckless driving and simple assault, court records show.
She is due back in court on Aug. 13 for allegedly violating her probation with the more recent road rage case, records show.
Social media accounts linked to Boisvert show her performing various stunts on motorcycles and ATVs over the last year. She appears to have about 20,000 followers across Instagram, YouTube, TikTok and OnlyFans.
The attack has sparked renewed calls for a crackdown on ATV and dirt-bike gangs in Providence, where the city has seen several cases of violence and street racing over the last year. The off-road vehicles themselves are prohibited by law from being used on city streets.
“We will continue to dedicate all our available resources to getting these illegal ATVs off our streets and to bring those responsible to justice,” Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza said in a statement. “Our police department has seized and destroyed over 200 bikes and we will continue to pull over and arrest people who are using these bikes illegally.”
Providence city council president John Igliozzi urged the state’s governor last Friday to send state police troopers to help with the spike in crime.
“As you know, the headlines regarding crime in the city of Providence over the last few weeks have been shocking — murders, drive-by shootings, stabbings, gang incidents and roving throngs of ATV and dirt bike riders terrorizing our neighborhoods,” Igliozzi wrote.
“This wave of violent crime is unacceptable, and we need to act immediately to restore public safety and make our city’s residents once again feel safe walking and sitting outside in their own neighborhoods.”
Igliozzi later expressed his shock after the incident on Tuesday.
“The report of a mother being ripped from her car and attacked by a mob of ATV and dirt bike riders, while her young child was in the car, is deeply disturbing,” he said.
Gov. Dan McKee told WPRI that his office is ready to support local police with the recent surge in violence.
Providence police are appealing to the public for help with identifying other suspects in the case.
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