A Springfield police officer working an extra detail on the 1300 block of Carew Street was punched, choked, and struck with a motorcycle helmet during a confrontation with a dirt bike rider and two accomplices this week, according to police. The officer used pepper spray on Guadarrama and tased the suspect who tried to choke him, and one man, 28-year-old Chamil Guadarrama of Springfield, now faces 10 charges stemming from the encounter.
The officer had spotted several dirt bikes, scooters, and motorcycles committing traffic violations near Carew Street, according to Springfield police spokesperson Ryan Walsh, as WWLP reported. One rider nearly struck a pedestrian before the officer moved to detain him. When the rider refused to shut off his bike or get off, he instead drove the bike toward the officer, who grabbed hold of the handlebars.
Guadarrama, identified by police as the rider, fell off the bike during the struggle, and the officer deployed pepper spray on him, per the same report. That's when two additional suspects reportedly entered the fray — one of them fled the scene on the dirt bike itself, while the other pushed the officer and attempted to choke him. The officer said he tased the suspect who tried to choke him, but that person continued to resist even after being shocked.
Officer Struck With Helmet as Third Suspect Flees by Car
During the chaos, Guadarrama allegedly punched the officer and then struck him with his own motorcycle helmet, the station's report states. A third, unidentified suspect escaped in a separate vehicle, which was later found unoccupied on St. James Avenue. Guadarrama was arrested at the scene following the altercation.
He now faces a lengthy list of charges, including reckless operation of a motor vehicle, unlicensed operation, operating an unregistered and uninsured motor vehicle, operating an off-highway vehicle on a public way, and unnecessary noise involving an OHV, according to the same account. He is also charged with resisting arrest, two counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, and assault and battery on a police officer.
Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 265, Section 13D addresses assault and battery on a police officer. Separately, Chapter 90B defines the vehicles covered by its provisions.
A Neighborhood Already Under Heavy Enforcement
The Carew Street assault didn't happen in a vacuum. Just days earlier, on October 1 and 3, Springfield police ran targeted off-highway vehicle details in the Carew and Liberty Street corridors, seizing four illegal vehicles — a dirt bike, a quad, a so-called tank motorcycle, and a scooter — and charging multiple juvenile riders, according to Newport Dispatch. As of October, the department had confiscated a cumulative total of 145 illegal off-highway vehicles and motorcycles during its citywide enforcement campaign, the outlet reported.
Springfield's crackdown has deep roots. In April 2025, Mayor Domenic Sarno and Police Superintendent Lawrence Akers formed a regional law enforcement coalition with Holyoke, Chicopee, Ludlow, and the Massachusetts State Police to combat illegal dirt bike and ATV operations, according to the City of Springfield. The city also passed a 2021 ordinance barring gas stations from selling fuel directly to OHV operators, an attempt to choke off access to unregistered bikes at the pump, as reported by New England Public Media.
Push to Destroy Seized Bikes for Good
State Senator Adam Gomez filed legislation in 2025 that would give municipal police departments the statutory authority to permanently destroy seized illegal dirt bikes, rather than selling them at public auction where they can end up back on city streets, New England Public Media reported. The proposal reflects frustration among Western Massachusetts officials that confiscations alone haven't stopped repeat riders.
Violent resistance toward officers attempting dirt bike arrests isn't new in Springfield either. Back in July 2019, the department rolled out a “zero tolerance” tactical policy after a suspect threw a chunk of concrete at an officer's head and smashed a brick through a cruiser window during an attempted arrest, according to WAMC. The incident involved an attempted arrest of an illegal dirt bike operator. Illegal dirt bike riding has also generated the city's highest volume of quality-of-life complaints while contributing to at least three fatal vehicle collisions over a 12-month stretch in 2018 and 2019, WAMC separately reported.
