WATCH: Police seize illegally-ridden bike after 80mph pursuit
Newly released police footage shows the moment an officer managed to halt an illegally-ridden off-road bike after its rider attempted to escape at speeds of 80mph in residential streets.
The Kawasaki 250CC bike was one of three which sped away when they were spotted by an officer from West Midlands Police on a motorcycle in the Tipton area on September 10.
The gang split up, so the officer pursued the Kawasaki, which had been driving the most dangerously – as it weaved through traffic, onto pavements, through red lights and on grassed areas. The new footage released by West Midlands Police shows how the 10-minute pursuit only ended when an officer, lying in wait at a bus stop, deployed a stinger to deflate the bike’s tyres.
WATCH officer pursue off-road bikers
The rider, 20-year-old Owen Guest, was arrested at the scene at around 2.30pm.
The bike has since been crushed.
Guest went on to admit dangerous driving and driving without a licence or insurance. He was given 14 months in a young offenders institute, suspended for a year, and ordered to abide by a curfew and complete 80 hours of unpaid community work.
Guest, of Sladd Lane, in Wolverley, near Kidderminster, was also given a two-year driving ban when he appeared at Wolverhampton Crown Court on Tuesday, January 14.
Pc Steve Lovering, who pursued Guest, said: “This was appalling driving on a bike which can’t legally be ridden on the roads.
“Great teamwork between officers on the ground and in the air helped us bring this to a safe conclusion.
“We know the misery that these kind of bikes cause when they are ridden illegally, and we will use all our resources to bring those who think it’s acceptable to justice.”
