Motorcyclist escapes after three-hour chase in Sussex
Hunt for helmetless GSX-R rider who evaded two helicopters and seven police cars before escaping on foot
POLICE are hunting a motorcyclist who led them on a three-hour high-speed chase through Sussex before crashing and fleeing on foot in Brighton.
Two helicopters and seven police cars were involved in the chase, in which the motorcyclist reached 100mph, crashed twice, rode on the pavement and continued riding after losing his helmet.
Dashboard camera footage from a car posted on YouTube shows the helmetless rider running a red light.
The chase began at around 2.30pm yesterday after the man was spotted riding at over 100mph on the A24 southbound between Broadbridge Heath and Findon.
The rider crashed at the Offington Drive junction of the A27 in Worthing at around 3.40pm. He then got back on the bike without his helmet and rode west before turning east again towards Shoreham.
A second helicopter was deployed to replace the first as the motorcyclist continued east towards Hove and Brighton city centre, before turning west again to Portslade.
The rider finally turned east again to Brighton, where he crashed the black Suzuki GSX-R he was riding at the entrance to a shopping centre and ran inside just before 5pm.
He discarded his jacket inside the shopping centre and escaped on foot in the town centre.
Inspector Dave Frey said: ‘The suspect was riding with total disregard of his own safety and those of others - at excessive speeds, through red lights, manoeuvring around bollards onto the wrong side of the road, and onto pavements in town centres. He pretty much contravened every road traffic law and I'm thankful that no one was injured.
‘The helicopter was the best option to monitor his progress without causing any further danger. We also had traffic officers and the police dog unit assigned.
‘Following an hour-long search of the city centre, assigned officers were stood down, and an investigation is now underway to find and identify the suspect so we can put him before the courts.’
Anyone with any information is asked to call 101.
