Crash Ends Police Pursuit of Motorcycle

A man on a motorcycle reported stolen led Anaheim police on a chase through city streets early Saturday morning before crashing in a parking lot.

The man, whose identity had not been determined by police, suffered head injuries and was in stable condition at UC Irvine Medical Center in Orange, police said.

Officer William Moss said the chase began when Officers Lewis Wuest and Christopher Ned saw a motorcycle with no taillights heading north in the 1300 block of South Harbor Boulevard. As they tried to stop the cycle, the driver accelerated to from 85 m.p.h. to 90 m.p.h., Moss said.

The officers checked the license plate number by radio and learned that the motorcycle had been reported stolen to the Tustin police on Friday, Moss said.

The motorcyclist sped north on Harbor Boulevard, then turned east on Broadway--going past the police station--and again accelerated to speeds approaching 90 m.p.h., Moss said. Broadway dead-ends at State College Boulevard, and the motorcyclist crossed the street and entered a shopping center parking lot, he said.

The driver then lost control of the motorcycle and struck large juniper bushes on the south side of the Wells Fargo Bank at 220 S. State College Blvd., according to Moss. The driver, who was not wearing a helmet, was treated at the scene by Anaheim Fire Department paramedics.

The incident is under investigation, Moss said.