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De Blasio, Lhota Issue Stern Warning To Biker Gangs -- Stay Out Of NYC

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- There was vows Wednesday from the Democratic and Republican candidates for mayor that there will be zero tolerance on their watch for the so-called motorcycle "wilding" that has stunned the city.

Democrat Bill de Blasio and Republican Joe Lhota don't agree on too many things, but they are united in the belief that the motorcycle road rage attack that has stunned the world has no place in the Big Apple, CBS 2's Marcia Kramer reported.

"It's unacceptable to have motorcyclists effectively take over highways inappropriately and illegally. It's not appropriate for them to make everyone drive slower so they can do their stunts," de Blasio said.

"This isn't the first time that I've heard about motorcycle wilding in the city of New York. These are gangs that are coming into New York," Lhota said. "They are very, very aggressive. There's no place for that in the city."

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Police are still trying to unravel the chain of events that led to the ugly confrontation on the Henry Hudson Parkway.

And the NYPD response itself was, sources said, complicated by the fact that police weren't following the bikers. The patrol guide says cops should not engage in high-speed chases if there is danger to the public or themselves, and the first call from the driver came when the car was nearing the turnoff to New Jersey.

De Blasio suggested the police be more proactive; maybe send officers to the various motorcycle clubs to tell them there is zero tolerance for their antics.

"Part of why we've been so effective in this city in fighting terrorism has been the proactive approach. Well, this is a different type of crime and a different type of threat, but the reason we've been so effective in fighting gangs is the proactive approach," de Blasio said.

Lhota seems to think that the City Council racial profiling laws have affected the NYPD crime response.

"It's had a chilling effect on everybody in the NYPD. There is an abundance of caution. They really don't want to be on a personal level," Lhota said.

Exactly how police policy changes will depend on who wins and who becomes police commissioner, Kramer reported.

The NYPD policy on when to engage in high-speed chases and when not to is similar to other large cities across the country, sources told Kramer.

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