A motorcyclist fled from law enforcement in Banks County after a state trooper attempted to pull over the driver for speeding. At one point during Sunday’s brief pursuit, the motorcycle struck a patrol car but kept going, officials say.
Multiple agencies were involved in the chase, including state troopers from Gainesville and Toccoa. Officers from the Baldwin Police Department were also involved, according to witnesses.
Alleged super speeder
The incident began around 4:34 p.m. on August 13 on GA 15/US 441 North. A state patrolman said he clocked an orange motorcycle traveling 86 mph in a 65 mph zone.
“The [trooper] activated his emergency lights and siren and the motorcycle accelerated, initiating a pursuit,” states a preliminary report from Georgia State Patrol Post 6 in Gainesville.
The pursuit continued northbound on Highway 441 before turning west onto Stonepile Street. The biker turned left onto Sunrise Ridge, where they did a U-turn and returned to the highway.
According to a report filed by Georgia State Patrol Post 7, the motorcycle was traveling north from Sunshine Ridge and attempted to cross the grass shoulder and travel into the southbound lanes of Hwy. 441.
Anticipating the motorcycle’s direction of travel, a Post 7 trooper drove onto the west shoulder.
“The motorcycle attempted to drive between the patrol car and a tree as the passenger of the patrol car was attempting to exit the vehicle,” the report states.
The fleeing motorcycle struck the patrol car’s passenger door, “placing a scratch around the door handle.”
The motorcycle continued south on Hwy. 441 before turning west onto Apple Pie Ridge and disappearing. The chase ended when law enforcement lost sight of the motorcycle.
