RHODE ISLAND POLICE STATE POLICE LOOKING FOR CYCLIST WHO TRIED TO RUN DOWN TROOPER
State police are searching for a motorcyclist who allegedly drove into a trooper who was trying to stop him at gunpoint downtown Sunday afternoon.
The state trooper fired a shot at the biker, who sped off and was seen by Providence police officers 10 to 15 minutes later on North Main Street, said state police Capt. Stephen Lynch. The motorcyclist is now on Rhode Island’s Most Wanted list. The biker first attracted attention when another trooper saw him speeding and doing wheelies in the southbound lanes of Route 146, Lynch said.That trooper, who was heading in the other direction, radioed to another trooper who was on the southbound side and warned him the motorcycle — racing at speeds between 108 and 120 mph — was heading up behind him, Lynch said.
The southbound trooper saw the motorcyclist as they approached where Route 146 connects with Route 95 south and tried to pull him over, Lynch said. Instead, the motorcyclist pulled to the side — and kept going, Lynch said.
The motorcyclist, who was driving a blue and white Suzuki and wearing a distinctive blue and white helmet with a centurion fringe, was then spotted by a trooper who was at a red light at Steeple and Canal streets.
The biker was a few lanes over, at the front of the lane. The trooper got out of his cruiser and walked up to the motorcycle, gun drawn, Lynch said.
The trooper stood in front of the bike and ordered the motorcyclist off at gunpoint, Lynch said. But the biker allegedly revved his engine and ran into the trooper, he said.
The trooper fired a shot at close range, and the state police believe he either hit the motorcycle or the biker. The motorcyclist drove off. The trooper was uninjured, Lynch said.
The trooper, whose name was not released yesterday, has been placed on administrative leave, as called for by the agency’s policy on use of force. A team of detectives from the state police, the Providence police and the attorney general’s office are investigating the trooper’s use of force, standard procedure when a law-enforcement officer fires a weapon in Rhode Island.
The encounter was caught on camera by a bystander. The state police released some of the pictures in hopes that someone can help identify the biker. The motorcyclist faces charges of assault with a dangerous weapon, eluding police and reckless driving.
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