At this point, I’ve watched so many videos of automotive reviews and industry news stories that the YouTube algorithm doesn’t know what to do with me. Today a video popped up titled: “One (Clever?) Way to Stop a Motorcycle Chase.” It is dashcam footage of two Arkansas police officers trapping a fleeing motorcyclist in a sort of pincer maneuver and then making the impromptu–and unorthodox–decision to force him off the road at speed. I have mixed feelings about the incident. Here’s the scoop.

In the fall of 2023, an Arkansas State Trooper saw a motorcyclists weaving in between traffic. “Lane splitting” like this is legal in some places, but not in the state of Arkansas. So the police officer lit up his lights to pull the bike over. But the rider took off.

Over a lengthy chase, the rider wove in and out of traffic to evade the cruiser. The police officer pushed through rush hour traffic, often using the breakdown lane to pass slower cars. This wild chase reached speeds of 140+ mph.

As the first police officer approached an intersection with another highway, he radioed ahead for help. Another officer drove toward the intersection on the other highway. When the motorcyclist decided to switch highways, the second cop drove across the center median and into traffic with his lights going to ambush the rider. Traffic stopped, but the patrol car wasn’t long enough to block every lane of traffic. As the motorcyclist approached the lone officer, the cop moved to intercept him, forcing the bike off road.

The motorcycle immediately went down. The rider jumped up and threw both of his hands in the air. Both police officers tackled him to the ground, swearing angrily. One officer pushed his head into the ground and yelled, “Run from me again, M—–F—–!” while other shouted, “Son of a b—-!”

So here’s the dilemma that police officers face whenever a suspect flee: The speeding motorcyclist was putting other motorists in danger. Speed limits and laws about lane splitting are written with the intent of protecting innocent bystanders. So officers are tasked with pulling over motorists who break those laws. But a high speed chase can put the offender, and other drivers, at even more risk.

Running a motorcycle off the road is especially risky. The driver will come off and hit the ground. It’s miraculous that this suspect wasn’t seriously injured.

Here are a couple more factors: The suspect saw the police cruiser and had time to brake hard. The video shows he was moving between 30 and 40 mph when he finally hit the grass. In addition, the police say a motorcycle fled from them two months previous and they originally suspected it was the same rider. They were ratcheting up enforcement to stop a dangerous pattern.

But after a search the police found the rider had no criminal history, past traffic violations, or drugs on his person. He happened to be concealed carrying a firearm, legally. For the rider’s part he immediately apologized, saying it was his first week with a motorcycle and that he freaked out because he’d never been pulled over in his life. He added, “I don’t have much to say to y’all but I apologize. That was–that was stupid and I shouldn’t of put you all through that.”

Next, read why 2023 was the deadliest year ever for Missouri motorcyclists, or see the video yourself embedded below: