SoCal man arrested after 140 mph-plus motorcycle pursuit

[PeteSC]

SoCal man arrested after 140 mph-plus motorcycle pursuit

Associated Press


SANTA CLARITA, Calif. - A man who admitted fleeing authorities on a motorcycle at breakneck speeds was arrested Wednesday after stopping at a California Highway Patrol office to report the bike stolen, the CHP said.

Alvaro Rodriguez, 26, was spotted speeding on his 2003 Yamaha on Tuesday, and as CHP officers chased him he accelerated up to 100 mph on surface streets and above 140 mph on freeways, CHP Officer Wendy Hahn said.

In the televised pursuit, the cycle could be seen weaving in and out of traffic and at one point entering a freeway on an exit ramp as vehicles dodged it.

Authorities monitored the cycle from a helicopter and the seven-minute pursuit ended when the rider parked at a Glendale mall and eluded sheriff's deputies inside, Hahn said.

On Wednesday, Rodriguez walked in to the West Valley CHP station to report that his bike had been stolen. But after questioning, he confessed he had been driving it and apologized, Hahn said.

"He also said he was scared traveling at such high speed," she said. "He thought he was going to die."

Rodriguez was booked Wednesday on charges including evading arrest, filing a false police report and perjury. He was being held on $75,000 bail and was expected to appear in Superior Court on Friday, Hahn said.

Rodriguez was wanted on an arrest warrant for a previous speeding ticket, she said, adding that he held two suspended drivers licenses.

The CHP initially called the suspect in the breakneck pursuit "the one that got away" but Hahn noted triumphantly Wednesday: "That's the Highway Patrol - we get our man."


  FWIW, this guy eluded police by outrunning them, parking at a large shopping mall, throwing his helmet and jacket away, and vanishing inside the crowded mall...leaving the bike parked outside.
  I guess it was registered to him, although he didn't have a license?!

[echomadman]

http://kcbs.dayport.com/viewer/viewerpage.php?Art_ID=7302&tf=video_player.tpl&Category_ID=71

i think thats the video of that chase (or a similar one)

[PeteSC]

SoCal man in high-speed motorcycle pursuit charged

Associated Press


SANTA CLARITA, Calif. - A 26-year-old man who led authorities on a high-speed motorcycle chase only to be arrested after he stopped at a California Highway Patrol office to report the bike stolen was charged with felony evading and perjury.

Alvaro Rodriguez was charged Friday following Tuesday's televised the seven-minute pursuit in which he accelerated a 2003 Yamaha up to 100 mph on surface streets and above 140 mph on freeways, authorities said.

The pursuit ended when Rodriguez allegedly parked at a Glendale mall and eluded sheriff's deputies inside.

The next day, Rodriguez walked in to the West Valley CHP station to report that his bike had been stolen. But after questioning, he confessed he had been driving it and apologized, authorities said.

Rodriguez had been scheduled to be arraigned Friday. He was held on $125,000 bond.

He is on probation in a separate case for perjury in Glendale and faces up to 56 months in prison if convicted on the current charges.
 

[PeteSC]

Biker Who Reported Motorcycle Stolen After Chase Pleads No Contest
Motorcyclist Accused Of Leading Police On Chase To Parking Garage

POSTED: 1:18 pm PDT September 7, 2005
UPDATED: 1:29 pm PDT September 7, 2005

NEWHALL, Calif. -- A motorcyclist accused of leading officers on a chase from Santa Clarita to the Glendale Galleria, then ditching the bike that he would later report as stolen, pleaded no contest Wednesday to felony evading and perjury.


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Newhall Superior Court Judge Lloyd Nash then sentenced Alvaro Rodriguez, also known as Alvaro Avila, to two years in state prison, said Deputy District Attorney Lupe Gonzalez.

Rodriguez, now 26, was arrested June 15 by California Highway Patrol officers in Woodland Hills, where authorities said he had gone to file a stolen motorcycle report.

Authorities said Rodriguez led officers on a televised high-speed chase that started on the Antelope Valley (14) Freeway at Sand Canyon Road on June 14.

The pursuit -- which continued on several area freeways and surface streets -- ended when the suspect drove his motorcycle into the Glendale Galleria parking garage and abandoned it, along with his helmet and motorcycle jacket, then blended into the crowd at the mall.

The shopping center remained open while officers searched for the man.

Officials credited an alert store clerk at the mall with helping to make Rodriguez's arrest possible. Rodriguez bought a baseball cap from the clerk in an apparent attempt to change his appearance, and the clerk provided the credit card receipt from Rodriguez's purchase to police.

Police called Rodriguez, who claimed that his Yamaha motorcycle had been stolen. The perjury charge stemmed from that claim.

He had been on probation for perjury in a case in Glendale.