Ran from cops and got caught

....on a sportbike message board

Now that's funny.


Police finally catch up to motorcyclist after he bragged on Internet posting

Officer recognizes bragging post on Internet. Man charged in February high-speed chase

By Gina Mace

Special to the Beacon Journal


NORTON - A motorcyclist who outran a Norton police officer during a high-speed chase in February was arrested after the officer identified the cyclist through an Internet post bragging about the incident on the Star Boyz Web site.

Raef Canter, 18, of New Franklin, was 17 on Feb. 14 when he took a 17-year-old friend for a ride on his 1988 Suzuki GSX-R 750 around 2:30 a.m.

He faces charges of delinquency by reason of fleeing police, reckless operation, speeding, no motorcycle endorsement, unauthorized use of plates, obstructed plate and failure to obey a traffic control device.

Norton police officer Dennis McDonald was patrolling state Route 21 when he clocked the bike in excess of 100 mph. He turned and gave chase, but called off the pursuit as the bike neared Fairlawn.

McDonald spotted the bike again on Medina Road near Acme Fresh Market in Bath Township. As he tried to get close enough to get a plate number and description, the driver spotted a Fairlawn cruiser and sped up.

``I wasn't in pursuit,'' McDonald said. ``I wanted to get a better description of the bike in case we saw it again.''

McDonald continued to follow the bike as best he could, as the motorcyclist rode 50 to 60 mph on Copley Road.

``He was taking the curves pretty slowly, driving pretty responsibly,'' McDonald said.

Once the cyclist cleared the railroad tracks at Copley Circle, he accelerated to more than 140 mph, McDonald said.

Bragging on Internet

As pursuits go, this seemed destined to be the one that got away -- until the officer heard about a post on StarBoyz.com, the Web site of a group of extreme motorcycle stunt riders known for their antics on public highways.

In an April 28 post under the subject ``Tales from the Streets FTP Style,'' someone who called himself ``rc138705'' bragged about outrunning three cruisers while carrying a passenger.

FTP stands for ``F--- The Police.''

``My friend comes over on (sic) night and he wants to go for a ride so I take him out on 21 and open the bike out well my luck a Norton cop passes on the other side when I was slowing down, I was doing about 90, I didn't really think he would try to chase a bike so I speed up to about 120... ''

McDonald said he knew when he read the post that the writer was the cyclist he chased in February.

So he joined the Web site, read other posts ``rc138705'' had written and discovered the cyclist was planning to sell the bike he was riding the night of the pursuit.

A motorcycle enthusiast himself, McDonald owns a newer model of the same bike. So, he e-mailed ``rc138705'' and expressed an interest in buying it.

``We e-mailed back and forth five or six times,'' McDonald said. ``I asked different questions about the bike and pretended that I didn't read the section about the police chase, that all I did was read the classified ads.''

When the cyclist e-mailed McDonald his phone number, McDonald traced it to Canter.

McDonald arranged to meet Canter on Saturday so that McDonald could look over the bike.

When they met, McDonald said he mentioned a post he read in the classified section that intimated that Canter's bike had been used to outrun the police.

``I asked him what that was about,'' McDonald said. ``He told me: `That's all I've done on this bike is run from the cops.' He said: `Every time I go out, they chase me.' ''

McDonald said Canter then told him the story of the February chase, and even told him that he could read the whole story on the Web site.

``He got all excited that I was interested in the story,'' the officer said, ``and started bragging away about it.''

Badge revealed

McDonald said he asked to test-drive the bike, and Canter said he would ride it first to warm it up. When he pulled back into the driveway, a Norton cruiser pulled in behind him.

``He didn't know why they were there,'' McDonald said. ``He started coming up with excuses, telling them I was there to buy the bike and he knew it had bad plates on it.''

That's when McDonald flashed his badge.

``I told him, `I'm the officer you ran from on 21,' '' McDonald said. ``He got white as a ghost and just stood there.''

Reached by phone Monday, Canter said he has been riding for about 10 years, starting on dirt bikes. He said he got the idea to run from police by reading the Star Boyz Web site.

``The Star Boyz do it. Everyone else on that Web site does it. I know a lot of people who do it and they get away with it and tell their stories,'' Canter said. ``I knew he couldn't catch me if I tried to get away. I didn't know it was a serious thing.''

`An everyday ride'

Canter said he usually did his fast riding late at night, and he stayed in the middle of the road so that cars would see the bright light from the motorcycle and wouldn't pull out into its path.

``It's dangerous,'' Canter said, ``but it didn't feel crazy. It felt normal to me. Just an everyday ride, really.''

Canter said he doesn't smoke or do drugs. He said riding is a way to fight boredom.

``I'd rather hang out with people who outrun cops,'' he said, ``than people who sit around and smoke dope.''

But, Canter said, his running days are over.

``I made a bad choice that night,'' he said. ``There's no way I'd ever run again.''

He was booked Saturday by Norton police and released pending an appearance in juvenile court.

McDonald, who has been riding for nine years, said he has nothing against stunt cyclists.

``When you get on the bike, it's a rush,'' he said. ``They're made to go fast and you want to go fast.  

First of all, why run from the cops?  It can only lead to bad things.  If your going to ride balls-to-the-wall then you better be ready for the consequences.  Then why be a megga-bonehead and brag about it on a forum?  Sounds like the guy deserved everything that happened.  I find it rather humorous.  I try to stand behind every rider but when you do something so stupid that makes motorcyclists in general look bad, then your on your own.

Also whats the deal with everybody on that site...ANGER problems?  Yes cops should be looking for child rapists, drug dealers, corrupt CEO's but the guy was breaking the law!  Get over it...the bad boy image is retarded!

Cops are not all bad.  My buddy and I were playing around doing some wheelies when a cop pulls up to a intersection we were passing.  We did not even try to run, we pulled over right away.  The cop was cool and let us off with a warning.  Just have to take responsibility for your actions and sometimes good things happen.  

Hawkman...I don't know who determined that you should decide who we stand with or forsake but I'll ALWAYS back a Biker against a cop even if it means that I have to lie!  FTP!  

Yeah, until someone steals your bike and then you'll be crying like a little girl with a skin knee for the police to do something about it.  Are you still rebelling against your parents too?  

What I'm upset about is the cop bragging and telling all these yahoos how he caught the kid. Kind of like all our terrorist experts writing artiles on the best targets.  

I'm sorry that when you read my post you missed the "I" when reading about standing behind fellow motorcyclists.  
GOOD for you!  You sound like a stand-up citizen, you should give yourself a pat on the back!  

By the way...THANK YOU.  For what you ask?  For reaffirming my stance.  

ultra, did the arresting officer join the board?  Because the officer who posted the news story had nothing to do with it.  I can't go back and check to see if the arresting officer got on that message board (and even then it very well could be one of the FTP guys trying to make the cop look bad, VERY probable) because the link no longer works or the threads no longer up.  

My understanding is the arresting officer joined the board, he was a motorcyclist also and noticed the bragging. Then the 17 year old kid went to sell the bike some time later. The officer just went there and got the kid to spill the beans, it's on another site and I'll try and find it and post it here.

Hawkman, I think we are in agreement, these kids are going to bring way to much attention to our sport. With attention comes the social control police, and I would like to ride my sport bikes the way I want, within reason for some time to come with out undo laws.

I too was pulled over the other day for doing 91. The cop gives me the big safety song and dance and threatens to give me 900 dollar ticket. He said I was in a 45, it wasn't, then he starts looking for infractions and calls out my can, I say it's stock and you can even see the db rating on it. Then he picks out the undertail, which is modified, I just shut up. Then he goes on about how he couldn't catch me and I must have been going much faster, so I pointed out that he did catch me and just about anybody could have if they wanted to. When he wants to know why I was going so fast I just told him the truth, I told him I always gas it to pass a tractor trailer for safety reasons.

He let me go, so they can be cool.  

The arresting officer was not the first (and i dont even think the 2nd) officer on the board to post in that thread, and it wasn't on the first four maybe 5 pages atleast that I saw when originally posting the story.  

I'd might have to disagree ever so slightly with people who said "these kids" are going to bring too much attention to our sport.  Not all of the "FTPers" are "kids", and not all "kids" riding sportbikes are "FTPers."  I started riding sportbikes when I was 18 and wasn't one of these "FTPers", neither were the few of my friends who rode sportbikes at that time.  Theres one *** who rides around here whos like 40 and still acts like a junior in high school, I kid you not he flirts with 17 year olds.  He is definately a "FTPer", but I'm sure when he goes to sell his bike he'll say it was owned by a "mature rider."  

Yes, the ones bringing the bad attention are not all kids.  I must agree that *** come in many sizes, shapes, and ages.  But a majority of the irresponsible riders are under 30 in my area.  The good thing though, is that they are in the minority.  

agree, but the majority of sportbike riders seem to be under 30 as well...but even then I have no doubt theres more *** "per capita" of sportbike riders 18-30 than there are 30+.  Sometimes I wonder if the *** are in a minority though, it's tough to put a percentage on them.  

Good point.

At both events I have participated in this year, spring run and blessing of the bikes, most riders were between 18-30 but I was surprised to see how many riders were 30+.  

One gentleman I talked to just got back into biking after a 7 year hiatus.  His bike...a CBR 1000RR, one hell of a way to get back into the sport!  Another guy pulled up behind me on a 02' GSXR1000 that was all "stunted out".  He was 36 but acted like he was 16.  The other gentlemen 30+ were on Ducatis.  Damn I have to wait that long to have a 999?!!