An Arkansas state trooper successfully executed a precision immobilization technique on a Honda CBR1000RR superbike during a high-speed pursuit, in a chase involving a two-wheeled vehicle where the PIT is both more technically difficult and more immediately dangerous to the rider than it is with a four-wheeled vehicle. The footage shows the trooper carefully managing the approach before making contact with the motorcycle in a way that brought the bike down without causing the catastrophic tumble that a poorly executed technique could produce. The rider was taken into custody with injuries that were serious but not life-threatening.
Motorcycle pursuits present law enforcement with uniquely difficult tactical challenges because the bike’s performance advantage over patrol vehicles is substantial and the consequences of high-speed PIT attempts on two-wheeled vehicles are significantly more dangerous than equivalent maneuvers involving cars. Many departments have policies specifically restricting the circumstances under which motorcycle pursuits can be conducted, and some prohibit high-speed pursuit of motorcycles entirely. The Arkansas trooper’s successful intervention without a fatal outcome represents a technically difficult accomplishment that will be analyzed within the department’s pursuit review process.
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