Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Michael Thomas Williamson, 19, of Trenton, was arrested yesterday morning after fleeing along NW 8th Avenue for almost three miles on a motorcycle; an officer reportedly pulled him off his motorcycle at a stoplight before arresting him.

At about 7:50 a.m. on June 25, a Gainesville Police Department officer was driving eastbound on NW 8th Avenue, west of NW 34th Street, and saw a blue motorcycle committing multiple traffic infractions.

The officer, who was driving an unmarked car, got behind the motorcycle and turned on his lights; he reported that the driver, later identified as Williamson, abruptly accelerated eastbound at a high rate of speed. Due to the risk to the public, the officer turned off his lights and continued driving eastbound.

The officer reported that the motorcycle stopped at a red light at the intersection of NW 8th Avenue and NW 22nd Street, and the officer was only five or six cars behind him; he reported that Williamson looked back at him multiple times.

The motorcycle again stopped at a red light at NW 6th Street; when the officer pulled up behind him, Williamson allegedly tried to flee again by “aggressively” trying to put the motorcycle into gear and maneuver it between other vehicles. The officer reportedly got out of his vehicle and grabbed Williamson, pulling him off his motorcycle and arresting him.

Post Miranda, Williamson reportedly said he saw the lights on the officer’s car, knew an officer was trying to pull him over, and fled.

Williamson has been charged with attempting to elude a police officer, a felony. He has no criminal history, and Judge Meshon Rawls ordered him released on his own recognizance.

Articles about arrests are based on reports from law enforcement agencies. The charges listed are taken from the arrest report and/or court records and are only accusations. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.