The Nebraska State Patrol arrested a Lincoln man after a pursuit that began near Beatrice and ended in Lincoln late Thursday night. Patrol spokesman Cody Thomas says just before 11:00 p.m. a trooper spotted a motorcycle speeding on Highway 77 near Pickrell.
The trooper tried to make a traffic stop, but the rider refused to yield and continued southbound. Thomas says as the motorcycle reached Beatrice on Highway 77, it turned and went northbound with speeds varying from 40 to over 120 miles per hour. The patrol says at times the motorcycle was traveling northbound in the southbound lanes of Highway 77.
As the motorcycle reached Lincoln the NSP helicopter took over the pursuit and followed the rider as it drove through the Haymarket, then over the0 pedestrian bridge near Pinnacle Bank Arena. Thomas says the motorcycle continued driving on streets and trails as NSP pilots continued to direct units on the ground.
Shortly after midnight, the motorcycle came to a stop near Antelope Park on the Billy Wolff Trail and the rider was taken into custody without further incident. Troopers discovered that the motorcycle was stolen.
28-year-old Tyler Yates 28, of Lincoln, was arrested and booked into the Lancaster County Jail for theft by receiving stolen property, flight to avoid arrest, willful reckless driving, defacing a vehicle identification number, possession of a controlled substance, driving under suspension and several traffic violations.
Yates also had an outstanding warrant. The Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office and Lincoln Police Department assisted during the incident.