A woman claims she was dragged out of her car and beaten by ATV and dirt bike riders in Providence.
And now there are more calls for action to handle recent violence, especially after a bloody weekend in the city.
Police said the woman told them she was dragged from her car and punched and kicked by a group of ATV and dirt bike riders after she honked at them for blocking the intersection of Smith and Orms streets at about 11 p.m. Tuesday.
But riders who were there said that is not what happened. Jeremey Costa spoke to NBC 10 News for the riders who did not want to go on camera.
Costa said the woman became erratic and started following the drivers after one of the bikes stalled at a right light much further down on Orms Street. He said she got out of the car and began to fight with one of the riders when things escalated.
"Nobody deserves to be in a situation like that, nobody deserves that, but the people that were involved and what is being happened didn't take place," said Costa.
"I'm just outraged by this incident last night," Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza told NBC 10 News by phone Wednesday, as he said he was on a planned family getaway.
"We're going to continue to dedicate all the resources available to make sure we get these illegal ATVs off the roads and make sure we hold these people riding them accountable. It is absolutely unacceptable. And I'm just outraged by this incident last night," he told NBC 10.
Elorza has repeatedly come under criticism for not doing enough to handle the ongoing ATV and dirt bike problem in the city.
The police officers' union FOP Lodge No. 3 posted on Facebook Tuesday, "How many more innocent people have to be hurt and traumatized before the Mayor and Commissioner see that giving criminals the keys to the city does not work?"
"I can guarantee you that we are doing everything that the commissioner and police chief says is possible to get these ATVs off the streets," Elorza said.
Elorza also comes under criticism in the wake of shootings and stabbings over the weekend, including the random East Side drive-by killing of an innocent woman, 24-year-old Miya Brophy-Baermann of Warwick.
Elorza told NBC 10 News that police have told him the shooting was apparently part of the ongoing neighborhood gang war in the city.
"Going into rival territory and shooting at who they find. It's just absolutely senseless," Elorza said.
NBC 10 News asked Elorza if the city needs more direction, in terms response, and to take a more a proactive approach.
"I think we need an all hands-on deck approach," the mayor replied.
Gov. Dan McKee said Tuesday the city needs leadership and has repeatedly offered state police help to patrol the city.
"So, our chiefs have been in touch for the last couple of months. And in fact, there has been coordination," Elorza said.
Elorza said state police have worked with city police on ATV patrols, which Col. James Manni, superintendent of the state police, confirmed happened with a special detail on Sunday.
Meanwhile, City Council President John Igliozzi wants state police patrols and is following Councilman David Salvatore's call for a special council meeting in response to the violence.
"That behavior is not going to be accepted and we’re going to ask some tough questions. But more importantly, I think we need a corrective action plan in place to address these issues," Salvatore said Wednesday.
Salvatore said more officers are needed to walk the beat.
NBC 10 News asked Elorza if the city is safe, to which he replied violent crime is significantly down from the 1990s and that Providence is safer than many other U.S. cities.