No Shootings, Stabbings or Assaults – 75th Annual Sturgis Rally Goers on Their Best Behavior

There were a total of 13 fatalities during the 75th annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, but none of them were the result of a shooting, stabbing or assault.

Sure we had a few boyfriend-girlfriend fights and a lot of intoxicated people, "But we had very little violence of any kind. It was a good rally." according to Sturgis Police Chief Jim Bush.

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He should know, Bush has worked 37 different Sturgis rallies, 25 as the police chief.

Bush said, "Bikers, for the most part, are pretty easy to get along with. Probably the worst thing was the fatal accidents, but that’s indicative of the fact there was just a lot of people here for a longer period of time. Go anywhere with that kind of population, say a major metro area, and you’d quite easily experience the same thing.”

This year's crop of rallygoer’s appeared to be on their best behavior as those same sentiments were echoed throughout the various law enforcement agencies in the Black Hills.

“It was all good," according to Meade County Sheriff Ron Merwin. “We had a few calls for service, but nothing more than normal. When you look at the violent crime, we didn’t have any of that, which was a good thing, considering all of the alcohol that was consumed.”

The cooperation between law enforcement agencies was strong during the 75th gathering.

Regional Health officials say there were more than 1,100 visits to emergency rooms and urgent care facilities during the weeklong rally that ended Sunday. That the number is up nearly 80 percent from last year’s rally.

Attendance is estimated at nearly 1 million people for the 75th anniversary of the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally which wrapped up on Sunday. It will probably be a week before event organizers will be able to provide a final count.

Source: Sturgis Rally Daily/ Argus Leader