Man on Mom's Crotch Rocket Leads San Angelo Police on High-Speed Chase

A crotch rocket motorcycle driver led the San Angelo police on a high-speed chase Monday afternoon.

A 21-year-old male, police said, was driving the yellow Suzuki crotch rocket that was owned by his stepmother. He was captured at Johnston Street at Douglas after wiping out. Police said that the driver downshifted too quickly, locked up the front wheel’s brake and threw himself forward and off the bike.

Investigating officer Brian Bylsma said that the crash investigation showed 121 feet of skid marks before an additional 110 feet of travel before the bike ran into a curve.

Here’s how the high-speed chase began:

A police officer was patrolling Loop 306 westbound and saw the yellow Suzuki crotch rocket fly past on the eastbound side at a high rate of speed at around 5:30 p.m.

The police saw the cyclist exit at Knickerbocker Road. The officer cut back towards the same Knickerbocker exit cutting across the median of the Loop and onto the service road with sirens blaring and lights on.

Meanwhile, the motorcyclist was waiting at the red light eastbound on the Knickerbocker overpass over Loop 306. Ironically, a Sheriff’s deputy was waiting at the same light. When the motorcyclist saw the incoming police cruiser with sirens and lights catching up, he took off at a high rate of speed eastbound on Knickerbocker.

The motorcyclist's mad dash turned northbound on S. Johnson Street before meeting its demise at the intersection of Douglas in a crash.

“I don’t know why he was running, we haven’t finished that part of the investigation,” Traffic Division Officer Brian Bylsma said. “I can make some speculations, though.”

Bylsma said the rider was not licensed to drive a motorcycle (no endorsement); he had no inspection sticker, and no license plates.

The motorcycle is not reported stolen, but police determined the owner by running the VIN. The suspect told Bylsma the owner was his stepmother.

Bylsma, who is a motorcycling enthusiast in addition to a motorcycle patrolman with many hours riding, said that the 21-year-old suspect’s face-shield helmet took a beating. “He was very fortunate to be wearing it,” Bylsma said.

He was treated for road rash, cuts and bruises and transported to the hospital.

He is facing felony charges for evasion in addition to no license, no plates, no inspection sticker, and failure to control speed.