Motorcyclist who did 140 MPH on local toll way caught thanks to social media

For the past few months, the roads have been wide open and that has prompted some drivers to hit the accelerator. This case is a reminder and a warning of how technology can catch up with anybody, even if they are doing 140 MPH.

AUSTIN, Texas - A video of a fast ride in early July was recently posted on social media, which just as quickly became evidence for a traffic ticket.

"It’s very dangerous, not only for the motorcyclist but for all of the other motoring public out on 183-A,” said Williamson County Precinct 1 Constable Vinnie Cherrone.

That wild ride up the tollway, Constable Cherrone agreed, could have gone sideways fast.

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How fast? A screenshot of the speedometer from the video showed that the bike hit 144 mph at one point.

"Even though the roads are wide open, there are so many distractions in vehicles now, and it’s very difficult to pay attention to everything that's going on at that speed."

The ride started on the Frontage Road just north of the 1431 intersection. At Scottsdale Dr., under an overpass, is where one of the constable's deputies was parked as the motorcycle headed northbound.

"What struck me the most was that, he even said in his video that, there's going to be cops up here,” said Cherrone.

The comment was made right after the rider hit 144 mph and as he was avoiding traffic.

"Without any regard, for any of that, he continued to do what he did,” said Cherrone.

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A pursuit wasn't done because of safety concerns. But the rider, who is not being identified, was eventually caught because authorities found his video on social media. A speeding ticket was recently sent along with a note that was posted this week on the constable's Facebook site.

"Our message is, yes let’s have some fun, but it’s also to bring awareness to safety on the roadways,” said Cherrone.

The tone of the letter, Constable Cherrone admits, is a little snarky.

Here is a portion of the letter that was sent with the speeding citation.

“Dear B.K. (for the sake of anonymity),

I want you to know how disappointed we were when we made the decision, in the interest of Public Safety, not to pursue you on the toll road at a dangerously high rate of speed. Luckily, our disappointment was short lived and quickly replaced with elation when we realized you had uploaded the evidence of your violation to YouTube.

I will commend you on a few things. First off, thank you for wearing a helmet, and thank you for attaching an HD GoPro camera to it. That was instrumental in allowing us to see the speed on your speedometer. (144 MPH WOW!!!) Secondly, thank you for doing a walk around your bike in other videos so we could get your license plate. And lastly, thank you for keeping your registration current, allowing us to get your address.”

"The intent is to let him know there are other ways to enforce speed other than pursuing someone, especially when you post it on YouTube," said Cherrone.

The rider on the video also made a snide comment about how the Deputy was being sneaky, implying he was there trying to catch speeders, by parking in the shade of the overpass. Constable Cherrone addressed that in his letter along with a final hashtag point.

“Also, just to clarify, we weren’t trying to “hide in the shadows”... as you mentioned earlier in your video it was 103° that day, we were just trying to stay in the shade.

Signed,

“Sneaky Sneaky”

P.S. You should keep an eye on your mailbox, we sent you a little something. It’s got a date on it you may want to pay attention to.

#YesYouCanMailSomeoneaTicket “

Constable Cheronne also poked fun at the social medial sleuthing it took to make the identification by including the hashtag #DoingItforTheGram.