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WEST BOUNTIFUL — A man and woman on a motorcycle led law enforcement officers on a chase through at least seven cities Thursday morning before they were captured and booked into Davis County Jail after crashing the bike.
The man told police he was scared because of his history with them. But police said if he had stopped when they first tried to pull him over, the most he would have gone home with was a speeding ticket.
"He was just nervous about stopping, he didn't have warrants," said West Bountiful Chief Todd Hixson. "We had nothing else on him, he just made a bad decision."
Before crashing his friend's motorcycle in a Clinton roundabout around 4:15 a.m. Thursday, law enforcement officers say 23-year-old Joseph Murray led them on a very average speed chase, never exceeding 55 mph.
It started in West Bountiful when an officer tried to pull Murray and a female passenger over for speeding.
"He (the officer) did get behind it, turned on his emergency lights and the motorcycle refused to stop," Hixon said. "Then it went up into Centerville and up on the freeway where it accelerated really quick."
The West Bountiful officer didn't go after Murray, but instead issued an attempt to locate. A short time later, a Davis County sheriff's deputy spotted the bike in Fruit Heights. By the time the chase reached Clinton it had been through at least seven cities.
"Several times it looked like it was coming to a stop, several times we thought he was having vehicle problems with his engine, it looked like it was choking out or slowing down," said Sgt. Aaron Perry with the Davis County Sheriff's Office.
Murray told police he did not want to stop because he has a history with police. He told them he didn't want to go too fast because he was having trouble seeing and didn't want to crash the bike, but in the end that's what he did. Murray and the female passenger were arrested after a foot chase and eventually taken to local hospital for minor injuries.
Murray now faces felony charges for fleeing.
"He just was nervous about stopping. And all he would have received is a speeding ticket," Hixon said.
As for the woman on the bike, police say she will be facing some charges because she ran from police after the crash.
