SEATTLE — A Newport, Ore., motorcyclist is in custody after eluding Washington State Patrol troopers and other lawmen across five counties in Washington on Saturday, officials said.
The 38-year-old man refused to yield to a state trooper after he was clocked driving a Kawasaki motorcycle at 76 mph in a posted 55 mph-zone on U.S. 101 about 6 miles west of Sequim on Saturday afternoon, according Trooper Chelsea Hodgson. The trooper ended the chase after the motorcycle accelerated and used oncoming traffic lanes and the right shoulder to pass other vehicles in heavy traffic.
The state patrol had an aviation trooper in a Cessna plane in the area, which was equipped with an infrared camera. The trooper provided the location of the rider to officers on the ground as the motorcycle traveled through Clallam, Jefferson, Mason, Thurston and Pierce counties. The abandoned motorcycle was found near Steilacoom, more than 90 miles from where the trooper initially tried to stop the rider.
Hodgson said the rider fled on foot and was found later by Steilacoom Public Safety Department officers. The rider, who was not identified, was taken back to Clallam County and booked in Clallam County Jail for investigation of felony eluding, reckless driving and driving with a suspended license out of Oregon.
