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?!
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