Motorcyclist Dies In High-Speed Police Chase
LIVINGSTON COUNTY (WWJ) - A police chase on westbound I-96 near Fowlerville ended when the driver of a racing motorcycle crashed into the back of a police car that was trying to stop him.
Authorities said the 20-year-old motorcycle rider from South Lyon died after crashing into the rear of a police cruiser around 4:30 Tuesday morning.
Livingston County Sheriff Bob Bezotte said officers were parked along the freeway looking for speeders when the 2001 Yamaha YZF 600 high-performance racing cycle zoomed past them.
"Our patrol cars, they were running radar at Mason Road and I-96 westbound, had him at 104 miles per hour. He was going so fast the patrol car pulled out to give chase. We had another car at M-59, which is about a mile and a half up, they had him at 114," Bezotte said.
The Sheriff's Department alerted Fowlerville police, who dispatched a cruiser to a stretch of the interstate ahead of the chase.
"Once they activated their lights, the driver accelerated to well-over 130. The Fowlerville car, which was up about four or five miles yet, he activated his lights and when the bike tried to go around him, he lost control and hit the back of the Fowlerville police car and he was pronounced dead at the scene," Bezotte said.
According to yamaha-motor.com, the YZF 600 has a 599cc engine and can travel at speeds surpassing 150 miles per hour.
Authorities are now trying to figure out what ties the man may have had with Michigan State University. Bezotte said the driver had a Michigan State University ID card and was likely on his way to the campus.
Police are not releasing the South Lyon man's name pending notification of the victim's family.
The accident investigation had a stretch of the freeway in Livingston County closed for nearly five hours.
