Posted on 06/06/2005 8:12:11 AM PDT by Responsibility1st
Rico Lamar Porter doesn't have a license to drive, but apparently he thought he had a license to fly Wednesday afternoon.
Porter, 27, of 25 Dyer Drive, Hickory, was arrested after leading state police on an eight-mile, 170-mph chase on traffic-congested Interstate 70.
That's no misprint. Commonly referred to as a sport bike or "crotch rocket," an aerodynamic motorcycle like the one Porter was operating is capable of speeds of around 200 mph.
Trooper Martin Gonglik was running radar about 4:20 p.m. near the Dunningsville exit of the highway when he clocked Porter going 120 mph.
Gonglik activated the lights and siren on his police car and attempted to stop Porter, but the motorcylist instead took off. With the trooper in his marked police cruiser in pursuit, Porter weaved in and out of eastbound traffic.
At times, he drove on the berm to get around vehicles. And not surprisingly, Porter didn't use his turn signal during lane changes.
Porter got off the highway at the Centerville exit and momentarily lost control of his slick speedster. Gonglik swerved to avoid a collision, hitting a guard rail. Porter again tried to flee, going south on Route 481, but ended up hitting the side of the police cruiser. Porter, who was wearing a helmet, was slightly injured and taken to Washington Hospital for treatment.
District Judge Jay Weller initially thought police had made a mistake when he read the criminal complaint filed against Porter.
"When I asked about going 170 mph, he just nodded his head," Weller said of Porter. "He was very forthright about everything. He said he just got the bike two weeks ago and hadn't even made the first payment."
Porter told Weller that his bike-riding days were over.
"He said it was a good thing that the trooper caught him because he probably would have killed himself," Weller said. "He was trying to catch up with some friends. He wondered why he caught up with them so quickly, but they had seen the trooper and slowed down."
Porter was arraigned before Weller on charges of reckless endangerment, fleeing and eluding police, driving with a suspended license, having no registration, having no insurance, driving off the road, not using his turn signal, failing to drive at a safe speed, speeding, careless driving, reckless driving and not having the vehicle inspected. He was placed in Washington County Jail on $2,500 bond.
A preliminary hearing is set for Tuesday before District Judge Curtis Thompson.
yeah, if I remember right this guy was clocked by someone in a plane. Now, this dude was caught by a police cruiser catching up to him...???
Love those Busa's ~ ugly but fast! ;)
If I remember right they came at him from the opposite direction after the plane clocked him. I got bagged that way in 1970. the nice policeman smiled and said "You were going 80. I said "I'll take it!" . We both knew I was well into triple digits..
^&*%$!!!
He was still doing a wheelie until he hit 140!
maybe... but how many people buy a bike and then soup it up that high to run on the street...????
Wouldn't mind seeing more details to this story....
That Busa vid is cool... Now, how fast do you think he was really going..? About 200MPH??? (Do you actually believe the odometer?)...
Amazing, wasn't it? From 50 - 140...
Last weekend, I'm northbound on Interstate 75 between Dayton and Cincy... in the centerlane doing about 73 mph. Two of these yo-yo's flew past me STANDING ON THE REAR WHEELS only, one in the left lane and the other in the right. They had to be doing 100+ mph -- They each had passenger holding on for life and limb -- no helmets, no turn signals, NO BRAINS.
bump
Good grief!
I went to college in that area.
Those Washington County country boys are well and truly nutz.
Good God almighty.
yet us cage drivers are obligated to wear our seatbelts
are these things in a risk pool of their own ?
Probably cancelled his insurance right after he drove it home. Common squid tactic.
squid=squirreley kid
I used to road race at WERA sanctioned events in the south-east region during the late 80's. I regularly raced at speeds over 100mph, sometimes nearing 165 depending on the track and bike. Fastest was a 1986 GSX-R 750 superbike at Road Atlanta, probably hit 165 on the back straight. I did this for several years and got pretty decent at it. The speed never bothered me because of the conditions. Safety, equipment, etc.
I also used to ride fast on the streets. Sometimes at speeds over 100 mph. One day I was in the Wash DC area tooling along on my 1998 1200 Sportster on the beltway at about 70mph in the middle lane. Two sport bikes passed me on both sides at an incredible speed. I'm guessing they were doing about 150mph. It actually scared me because I never saw them coming. That one incident was enough to make me realize how truly insane those guys were.
Speed has it's place. You can argue the legitimacy or lack of legitimacy of that speed on a track if you want. However, there is no argument. That kind of speed doesn't belong on a street - EVER! Who cares that the nut is risking his life? OTOH, most of us care that the nut is risking our life.
I personally know of one incident where a motorcyclist T-boned a car at a high rate of speed. It killed the motorcyclist and his passenger, plus killed the peopl in the car.
Unless your byline "Shirtless at the 7-11" means you ride without a shirt, in which case you're a squid, so don't ping me.
Never break the law on a motorcycle-- without a helmet and appropriate attire.
No, its 3.9 million times faster than 170 mph.
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