INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — A motorcyclist who officials said led deputies on a high-speed chase – more than 100 mph – while driving into oncoming traffic and ignoring traffic signals, was jailed Monday.
“The rider disregarded the safety of his passenger and other motorists occupying the roadway,” a deputy said in the arrest report.
Douglas M. Beck, 30, was charged with fleeing and eluding law enforcement officers, failure to register motor vehicle and no motorcycle endorsement. Beck was held Tuesday at the Indian River County Jail on a $110,000 bond.
Jail records list Beck with a Connecticut address, but his booking information shows he lives in the 500 block of 7th Place, Vero Beach.
A patrol deputy on traffic enforcement spotted Beck and a passenger riding on a silver and purple motorcycle without a visible tag about 9 p.m. Monday near 12th Street and U.S. 1. The deputy followed the vehicle to Indian River Boulevard and activated his emergency lights, reports show.
When the light turned green, the motorcyclist accelerated on northbound Indian River Boulevard, exceeding 100 mph, deputies said. The motorcyclist then turned off all the lights on the vehicle and ran several red lights, reports show.
In fear of the passenger’s safety, the deputy and two other officers in patrol vehicles stopped chasing the motorcycle and turned off their emergency lights. The deputies, along with a sheriff’s helicopter, tracked the motorcyclist’s movements as he traveled to U.S. 1 and headed southbound.
The motorcyclist eventually drove to his residence, where deputies detained him.
Deputies arrested the motorcyclist – identified as Beck – and booked him into the county jail. Beck has an arraignment at 8:45 a.m. Feb. 29, court records show.
