Sturgis Rally Sees Drop In Injury Crashes But Rise In Felony Drug Arrests

The 86th edition of the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally is in the books, and the numbers surrounding this year's event are beginning to trickle in.

According to the South Dakota Department of Transportation, traffic counts through last Thursday (August 12) stood at just over 360,000 vehicles, down about 9% from the five-year average at Sturgis.

• Friday, August 7: 54,515 vehicles entered (Up 2.9% from the previous five-year average)
• Saturday, August 8: 58,519 vehicles entered (Up 2.5% from the previous five-year average)
• Sunday, August 9: 55,448 vehicles entered (Down 7.5% from the previous five-year average)
• Monday, August 10: 55,226 vehicles entered (Down 8.4% from the previous five-year average)
• Tuesday, August 11: 51,742 vehicles entered (Down 11.8% from the previous five-year average)
• Wednesday, August 12: 42,964 vehicles entered (Down 23.6% from the previous five-year average)
• Thursday, August 13: 41,702 vehicles entered (Down 18.1% from the previous five-year average)

The final vehicle numbers for the rally will be released the week of August 24.

READ MORE: South Dakota Troopers Battle Traffic, Speeders, And One Rattlesnake At Sturgis

On the roadways in and around Sturgis, there were 31 non-injury crashes (27 last year), 39 injury crashes (66 last year), and three fatal crashes (four last year).

On the law enforcement side, the South Dakota Highway Patrol tallied these totals for the 2026 rally: 

• 114 DUI arrests (119 last year)
• 221 misdemeanor drug arrests (266 last year)
• 108 felony drug arrests (104 last year)
• 1,709 citations (1,524 last year)
• 4,572 warnings (4,959 last year)
• $6,116 cash seized

Meanwhile, South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley says six men were arrested on charges of attempted sex crimes with minors during an undercover operation conducted during the rally by the state's Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force:

• Johan Vazquez-Garza, 33, Rapid City, for Solicitation of a Minor. Vazquez-Garza, who has been deported five times since 2009, may face additional federal immigration related charges.
• Bo Bo Aung, 38, Box Elder, for First Degree Human Trafficking, Attempted First Degree Human Trafficking, and Attempted Fourth Degree Rape.
• Adrian Tomas Randles, 39, Rapid City, Solicitation of a Minor. Randles is a registered Sex Offender resulting from a 2013 conviction for Solicitation of a Minor.
• Steven Clay Brown, 62, Sturgis, for Solicitation of a Minor.
• Kevin Orlanda Tassion Brown, 30, Dillon, South Carolina, for First Degree Human Trafficking, Attempted First Degree Human Trafficking, and Attempted Fourth Degree Rape.
• Jay Anderson, 39, Hot Springs, Solicitation of a Minor.

All six will be prosecuted by the South Dakota Attorney General’s Office in partnership with the Pennington County State’s Attorney’s Office.

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