Police chase biker with helicopter, decide they made right decision
Police flew a helicopter just metres from the ground while chasing a biker and say they made the right call.
A helicopter chasing a motorcycle is a popular trope in action films. But police in St Helens, Merseyside, have done it for real, and - upon reflection - decided that they ‘acted appropriately.’
Video footage of the chase emerged on social media soon afterward, and presently has more than 2.2 million views on TikTok. It shows a helicopter in hot pursuit of a dirt bike as it tears across a field.
Remove yourself from the legal and safety questions raised by this incident and you have to admit it’s pretty cool. We suspect that both the helicopter’s pilot and the biker will be bragging about it for the rest of their lives.
“It’s like Airwolf in high-viz,” observes editor Toad.
Police say that the chase took place near Carr Mill Dam in St Helens, Merseyside, on 13 August, and that the rider involved was eventually arrested - charged with several offenses, including dangerous driving, theft of a motor vehicle, and driving while disqualified.
“While the footage has understandably generated public interest, it is important to view it in the full context of an operation that lasted over an hour," National Police Air Service Chief Superintendent Fiona Gaffney told BBC Liverpool. “The fast-paced and unpredictable nature of vehicle pursuits can require crews to make rapid decisions to ensure public safety.”
The rapid decision made in this case was to fly the helicopter just metres from the ground. It’s hard to work out from the video, but we’d guess that the helicopter’s skids are no more than 18 feet from terra firma, and even closer to the rider’s head.
The National Police Air Service told BBC Liverpool that it had reviewed the case internally and was "satisfied the crew had acted appropriately".
As Gaffney points out, the chase lasted for quite some time. According to some media reports, police found themselves being outwitted for upward of two hours by the rider. Additional videos online show him zipping past police officers several times.
A second person was arrested in connection with the incident, charged with theft of a motor vehicle and assisting an offender.
For more motorcycling news, stick with Visordown.
Chris Cope is a fourth-generation journalist, originally from Texas. He has lived in the UK for roughly two decades and has been writing about motorcycles for most of that time. He has written for dozens of publications and websites in the UK, US, Canada, and Australia.
