Cops Track Motorcyclist In 250 Kilometre An Hour Chase
Posted August 14, 2007 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
He was travelling so fast on his motorcycle that even cops in their cruisers couldn’t catch him. And that’s why York Regional Police sent their helicopter up into the darkness at 1:30am Tuesday to catch a speed demon who was allegedly endangering countless lives.
The chase began near Yonge St. north of Highway 407 after an officer saw a biker speeding up the street. When the cyclist realized he’d been spotted, he stepped on the gas, heading east on the toll road so fast, the cop lost sight of him. He managed to catch up with the hog at Leslie, and saw the bike didn’t have any license plates. When cops tried to pull him over, the rider revved up again, ran a red light and took off – all the while sporting a passenger on the back of the two wheeled vehicle!
It wasn’t long before sharp eyed officers saw their quarry a third time, sitting at a gas station near Yonge and May in Richmond Hill. With the passenger off the bike, the man started his engine and screeched away, leaving officers behind one more time. They were forced to call off the chase on the ground for fear of injuring the public.
But they had a weapon in their arsenal not even this uneasy rider could defeat – their chopper. It followed the suspect overhead as he sped through the city for more than 20 minutes at speeds that at some points reached an eye popping 250 kilometres an hour.
He eventually stopped not far from New Westminster and Centre St., near the Promenade Mall, and tried a different escape route – on foot. But this bizarre tale doesn’t end there. Police found the bike and then received an oddly timed phone call from its owner, telling them his motorcycle had been stolen. But investigators didn’t buy it, and now say the owner and the rider were the same person.
They found other evidence – including the clothing and helmet he was wearing – in some nearby bushes, along with perhaps the motive for the crime: a license that only allowed him to drive the bike during daylight hours.
It’s unlikely he’ll be able to operate it in the sunlight anytime soon. Twenty-four-year-old Wael Wehbe of Vaughan is facing several charges, including dangerous operation of a motor vehicle.
The chase was captured by York Police’s overhead camera. To see it, click the video links above.
