The rider of an illegal electric motorcycle was pursued and arrested after failing to stop for officers.
Firearms officers on routine patrol in Sutton-in-Ashfield spotted the Sur-Ron bike on Stoneyford Road shortly before 8.30pm on Boxing Day.
The rider was instructed to stop but rode away from the pursuing officers – at one point narrowly avoiding an oncoming car as he crossed a busy road.
The rider was followed onto North Street where officers made tactical contact with him at low speed – knocking him to the floor.
After a brief foot chase, an 18-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of dangerous driving, failing to stop, driving without a licence, driving without insurance, possessing a Class B drug, and assaulting a police officer.
He was later released on police bail, but his bike has now been seized and will likely be destroyed.
Inspector Chris Boylin, district commander for Ashfield, said:
“As I’ve said repeatedly in the past, these kinds of electric motorcycles are at best a nuisance and at worst an active danger to other road users, pedestrians, and even riders themselves.
“As well as being illegal to ride on public roads, they are also regularly involved in criminality, which is why we take such an interest in them.
“The officers in this case did a great job to bring this pursuit to a safe conclusion and to take another of these machines off the streets.”
Electric bikes and rules for riding them
You can ride an electric bike, or an ‘electrically assisted pedal cycle’ (EAPC), without a license or insurance if you’re 14 or over.
An electric bike:
- must have pedals that you can use to propel it
- can have more than two wheels, for example a tricycle
- must have an electric motor that can run continuously at a maximum power of no more than 250 watts
- must have no electrical assistance once you reach 15.5 miles per hour (mph)
If your electric bike fails to meet any of these requirements it needs to be taxed and insured as either a motorcycle or a moped.
