Motorcyclists and non-riders , I would like opinions on this story

[icehog3]

Originally Posted by Neuromancer

Okay, Tom...the guy was speeding, doing 100+ on a crotch rocket...why would any cop automatically think it was a gun situation and pull his weapon out of his holster? Do you do that every time you stop someone for speeding or running a red light? I think the cop went way overboard on his reaction to a guy on a crotch rocket...we've all seen them flying down the highway at 100+...you should see what they're like on I-95 coming out of Miami...why does that warrent this cop pulling out his piece automatically? Do you do that for traffic stops? Just cause someone's doing 100?

Remember that we have the benefit of knowing the context of the motorcyclist's actions while watching the video. The cop, on the other hand, likely does not know why the cyclist is going 140+ MPH. Could he have just committed a forcible felony, (i.e., robbed a bank, killed his ex-wife, etc)? The cop doesn't know. Could he be willing to kill to avoid being caught if he did just commit a crime? The cop doesn't know. We do know because we have the luxury of seeing the video from a hot-dog cycling website...the cop did not have that luxury.

In this situation, I would have had my sidearm unholstered and "at the ready" until I felt the danger of the unknown had passed. It seems to me that is exactly what this cop did. Should he have yelled "police" as he approached? Absolutely, but fear and adrenaline sometimes make people act with a "survival" instinct first.

And without the benefit of knowing the context of the motorcyclist's actions, as we do after the fact, I completely disagree with the idea that this cop should have "known" for a fact that his guy wasn't running from something.