Saturday, September 7, 2024
PARKER COUNTY — A mysterious motorcycle rider has led Parker County Sheriff's deputies on at least seven different high-speed chases in recent months. Local authorities are currently asking the public for help locating the individual. As of an April 24 press release, the suspect drives an all-black motorcycle with no visible license plate. The man has worn a helmet during each encounter and has not yet been identified.
“We’re still running down a few leads and have not had any additional encounters,” Parker County Sheriff Russ Authier said on Friday. According to Public Information Officer Danie Huffman, the sheriff’s office is following up on every lead developed and each tip it has received. The investigation is currently considered open/active and the department had not made any arrests as of Friday, May 10.
According to Facebook comments the mystery biker has been weaving in between lanes of traffic and passing on the shoulder at high speeds.
“This guy almost got (me) killed the other day,” Azle Residents Page member Dylan Robert Flaherty said on the social media site. “Dude blew by me, and I was about to change lanes (and) didn’t hear him until he was right next to me. (He) scared the shit out of me. Coming from someone paralyzed from a motorcycle accident it scared the hell out of me.”
In an unrelated incident, a 20-year-old man and a 19-year-old woman were killed in February after crashing their motorcycle during a high-speed chase with Texas Department of Safety troopers. According to a press release from the agency, Ian Ellis and Mya Jimenez were fleeing from authorities on an Interstate 20 service road near Weatherford when Ellis went through a stop sign and struck another vehicle, vaulting the two forward. In the state of Texas nearly 600 people riding motorcycles were killed in crashes last year, and more than 2,400 riders were seriously injured. The number of motorcyclists killed in 2023 increased by 7% from the year before, and intersection fatal crashes increased by 21%. May is Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month and the Texas Department of Transportation urges both motorcycle riders and other travelers on Texas roadways to pay attention, slow down, stay alert and stay safe.
Anyone with information about the mystery biker is asked to contact the Parker County Sheriff’s Office at 817-594-8845. Crime Stoppers will also pay up to a $1,000 reward for information leading to the arrest or conviction of the driver. To be reward eligible, you must contact Crime Stoppers directly at www.pccs.tips or 817-599-5555. Callers may remain anonymous when contacting Parker County Crime Stoppers. Readers can also learn more about Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month at www.txdot.gov/about/newsroom/statewide/motorcyclist-deaths-on-the-rise-in-texas.html.
