Posted: Thursday, July 17, 2008 12:00 am
A man on a motorcycle was arrested on Interstate 5 in Albany early this morning after leading troopers on a chase from Tualatin, Oregon State Police said.
The pursuit ended when the motorcycle ran out of gas.
According to OSP, here's what happened:
Shortly before midnight Wednesday, Tigard police saw a motorcycle speeding south on Highway 217.
OSP Trooper Will Brindza was on Interstate 5 near the highway when he saw the 2001 Suzuki SVC get on the freeway while being followed by a Tigard police car with overhead emergency lights on.
Brindza turned on his patrol car's lights and sirens to stop the motorcycle, which sped up to more than 130 mph, heading south and using all four lanes to maneuver through traffic.
The motorcycle continued south as other agencies and OSP troopers from Salem and Albany got into position to help.
The motorcycle stopped at 12:39 this morning on the inside median of Interstate 5 near Highway 20 in Albany.
The operator, Gary Allen Smith, 27, of Tigard, was arrested on charges of reckless driving and attempt to elude on a vehicle. He was taken to the Washington County Jail.
Similar charges are pending in Clackamas, Marion and Linn counties, where Smith rode the motorcycle during the pursuit.
Democrat-Herald