Over the weekend, Clearwater Police arrested six motorcyclists in a 15 hour period of time.
The first documented arrest took place at approximately 6:35 p.m. on Friday, April 5, 2019. According to Clearwater Police, the 23 year-old male motorcyclist was driving at a high rate of speed on US-19 on the shoulder at Drew Street. The motorcyclist was observed driving in and out of traffic and nearly causing several collisions. The officer was able to determine, via radar, the motorcycle was traveling at 123 mph in a 55 mph zone. Two other officers witnessed this reckless driving. The man was arrested and charged with reckless driving with wanton disregard.
The second arrest took place at approximately 8:30 p.m. on Friday, April 5, 2019. Clearwater Police attempted to perform a traffic stop on a black motorcycle at the intersection of US-19 and Sunset Point Road. The motorcyclist was traveling northbound on US-19 at a high rate of speed and fled the traffic stop. The 22 year-old male was arrested and charged with felony fleeing and eluding a police officer.
A few hours later, at 11:43 p.m., Clearwater Police arrested a 25 year-old male motorcycle who was traveling at 93 mph on US-19. The officer observed the motorcyclist traveling northbound on US-19 at Drew Street weaving in and out of traffic nearly causing three separate collisions. The motorcyclist exited US-19 and began to travel westbound on Sunset Point Road at a high rate of speed. The motorcyclist was arrested and told the officer that he, “was just lane splitting man.”
At 12:31 p.m., on Saturday April 6, 2019, Clearwater police recorded on radar a motorcyclist traveling at 135 mph on US-19. The 27 year-old man was driving a black and yellow motorcycle southbound on US-19 at Sunset Point Road. The Pinellas County Sheriff’s helicopter continued to follow the motorcyclist approximately 10 miles before coming to a stop in an apartment complex parking lot. Upon his arrest, he told the officers, “I’m not a bad guy, I just like to speed.” He was arrested and charged with fleeing and eluding a police officer.”
The next arrest took place after a motorcyclist was observed driving in a reckless manner at approximately 1:02 a.m on Saturday, April 6, 2019. A Clearwater Police officer attempted to perform a traffic stop on this 23 year-old male motorcyclist after being observed doing a stand up wheelie on US-19. This occurred in the area of US-19 and Sunset Point Road. The officer attempted to perform a traffic stop in the area of Corona Avenue and Drew Street. The motorcyclist fled from the traffic stop and was tracked by the helicopter from the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office for approximately 1 hour and 10 minutes. At one point in time, he was tracked into Pasco County. The motorcyclist stopped at a gas station and fled when officers arrived, striking the front of a police car in the process. Eventually he fled from the motorcycle on foot and was caught shortly thereafter. He reportedly told the officer that he fled because he did not have a motorcycle endorsement on his driver’s license. The motorcyclist was charged with fleeing and eluding a police officer, resisting an officer without violence, reckless driving, driving an unregistered motor vehicle, and not having a motorcycle endorsement.
The final documented arrest occurred at approximately 9:42 a.m. on Saturday, April 6, 2019. A Clearwater Police officer observed a motorcyclist traveling in excess of 100 mph southbound on US-19 at Old Coachman Road. The 48 year-old motorcyclist was reportedly traveling with several other motorcyclists while cutting in and out of traffic. Furthermore, the officer states that the man was causing a danger to the public with wanton disregard for public safety. The officer reports that several vehicles took evasive maneuvers to avoid the motorcyclist’s reckless driving pattern. He was charged with reckless driving.