A person on an electric dirt bike took cops on a wild chase through the city streets of southern California before he was arrested on Wednesday.
The San Diego County Sheriff’s office said 19-year-old Hunter Bellish was taken into custody after leading more than half a dozen officers on a chase though city streets from Vista to Oceanside, north of San Diego.
Around 3:15 p.m., a deputy attempted a traffic stop of the biker who was driving an unregistered Arctic Leopard electric dirt bike, per the sheriff’s office.
Bellish fled from the officer, evading the deputy by running red lights and driving the electric bike in excess speeds of 50 mph around stopped traffic, law enforcement said.
At one point, Bellish made a sudden U-turn and crashed into the deputy who was in pursuit of him, “striking the deputy’s motorcycle and knocking it over,” per the press release.
The sheriff’s office said with the help of a helicopter patrol, Bellish was finally located near Panorama Ridge, where he was taken into custody without further incident.
Video taken by Jody Taylor with @Sixty5Media showed the end of the pursuit and Bellish being walked down the hill by a huge contingent of deputies.
He was booked into the North San Diego County Vista Detention Facility, where he’s facing multiple felonies, including reckless driving. He was arraigned on Thursday and was released on his own recognizance, per law enforcement.
The sheriff’s office said neither Bellish or the deputy were injured in the pursuit. The bike has been stowed and placed in storage.
“Now we are doing police pursuits on e-bikes? The amount of lives he put in jeopardy for that is so not worth it, including his own,” Taylor told NBC 7.
“First, the sheriff is bringing the bike down the hill, then bringing the gentleman down the hill. He was pretty upset, obviously.”
Law enforcement said e-bikes can be operated on public roadways, but electric motorcycles can only be ridden on trails or in areas where they allow off-road vehicles.
