DOUGLAS COUNTY, Colo. (KDVR) — Dramatic video shared by the 23rd Judicial District and the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office shows a high-speed chase involving a motorcycle.
The two offices say reckless driving, like what is seen in the video, won’t be tolerated in the county.
This chase happened back in May, beginning when a Douglas County Sheriff’s deputy spotted the motorcycle going 67 in a 45 mph zone on University Boulevard. James Allbee with Metro Intelligence Agency says pursuing a motorcycle at high speeds can be dangerous for everyone involved, and he was glad no one here was hurt.
In dash cam footage from the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, you can first see the motorcycle fly by the deputy in the opposite lane.
“They’re totally disregarding their own safety and the safety of the general public,” Allbee said.
The deputy makes a U-turn, and the pursuit begins. Allbee says chases like this all come down to split-second decisions from law enforcement.
“Just because a pursuit starts off within kind of the common sense guidelines that have got to be used and using good judgement, that situation is going to rapidly change from intersection, second to second, depending on what road they turn on,” Allbee said.
The motorcycle is shown weaving through traffic at high speeds. Allbee says it becomes difficult for anyone in a normal vehicle to keep up.
“These motorcycles have incredible torque on the front end of these that you can’t keep up with. There’s not a vehicle out there that’s going to be able to keep up with that kind of acceleration,” Allbee said.
In a chase with a motorcycle, unlike a pursuit of a car, technology like stop sticks can’t be used safely.
“It’s going to end up injuring the individual, maybe unnecessarily, when there’s other means that can be used,” Allbee said.
Eventually, the suspect is stopped when an unmarked sheriff’s office vehicle is able to cut them off at an intersection. Nobody was hurt in a situation Allbee says could’ve easily gone differently.
“I think overall, the way that this all went down was executed perfectly by the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office,” Allbee said.
Their bike was forfeited and will be auctioned off, with some of the proceeds benefitting the Department of Human Services, Alcohol and Drug Abuse Division.
The suspect, 41-year-old Brandon Watts, was also found to be driving without registration or insurance. He pleaded guilty to felony eluding and obstructing justice.
Anthony Sutton is a business strategist and writer with a passion for management, leadership, and entrepreneurship. With years of experience in the corporate world, he shares insights on business growth, strategy, and innovation through management-opleiding.org.
