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Police seize motorcycle in 299-km/h joy ride

By Katie DeRosa, timescolonist.com April 19, 2012

Saanich police have levied hefty fines against the owner of a motorcycle that was seen reaching
299 kilometres an hour on the Trans-Canada Highway in a viral YouTube video, but say they need more evidence before they can charge the suspected driver.

The shiny blue 2006 Yamaha R1 sport bike was on display at Saanich police headquarters Thursday after it was seized from a home in the 800 block of Admirals Road. Investigators tracked it down on April 13 after receiving tips about the rider’s identity.

The 25-year-old suspect has no valid driver’s licence and no insurance. He does have 27 driving-related convictions, including speeding and driving without insurance, said police spokesman Sgt. Dean Jantzen. The man has had his licence suspended five times and only had a learner’s motorcycle licence, which was also suspended.

Police say the registered owner is the mother of the suspected rider. Under the Motor Vehicle Act, police are able to issue the registered owner with tickets even if she was not driving the motorcycle.

“The Motor Vehicle Act has sections in it that require the owner to be responsible for the conduct of the vehicle and to be responsible for the person who operates the vehicle,” Jantzen said.

On Wednesday, the mother was issued tickets totalling $1,449: a $368 ticket for driving without due care and attention, a $483 ticket for excessive speed and a $598 ticket for having no insurance.

Saanich police hope to charge the rider with dangerous operation of a motor vehicle, but they admit it’s difficult to prove who is riding the motorcycle in the video. “We are left with a motorcycle and a set of hands,” Jantzen said.

Saanich police are asking anyone to whom the rider might have bragged about recording the video to call them at 250-475-4321.
Jantzen said investigators have received “limited co-operation” from the registered owner and suspected rider.

The suspect was supposed to come to the police station for an interview with investigators on Wednesday, but didn’t turn up, Jantzen said.
Police have no power to force him to give an interview because he’s not charged with an offence.

The man lives in Greater Victoria but has ties to the Okanagan and Alberta.
Police are trying to seize the motorcycle permanently under B.C.’s Civil Forfeiture Act, which allows the province to take assets that they can prove were used to commit an offence.

Thanks to witnesses who saw the motorcycle fly past them on the Trans-Canada Highway, travelling from MacKenzie Avenue to Millstream Road in Langford, police determined the video was recorded April 6 at about 4 p.m., two days before it was posted to YouTube.

Const. Will Dodd of the Saanich police forensic identification section explained police were able to prove the motorcycle seized is the one in the video, thanks to five identical scratches on the steering panel, as well as a mount for a video camera.

The two-minute video has been viewed more than 223,000 times. Many of the viewers condemned the behaviour in the comments section, saying it’s sheer luck the motorcyclist didn’t kill himself or others on the road.

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