Motorcyclist reaches 120+ mph during C-470 pursuit as Colorado State Patrol cracks down

It's a concerning trend on Colorado roads: more motorcycles crashing, driving recklessly and eluding law enforcement.

Colorado State Patrol joined forces with Jefferson County Sheriff's deputies to crack down on unsafe behavior on C-470.

The operation focused specifically on motorcycle riders who fail to pull over for law enforcement.

In just six hours, that operation led to 11 citations being issued for things like reckless driving and speeding.

It also led to two arrests. One of them took place after a chase that ended safely, thanks to a Colorado State Patrol plane and its camera.

It started when deputies tried to pull over three motorcycles on Bowles Avenue. Two stopped, but one took off.

"The first one's accelerating away, probably about 75 miles an hour. Looks like he's gonna begin on the C-470 westbound," law enforcement can be heard saying on video of the incident, released by CSP.

"We're trying to line him up, trying to catch up, but he's, yeah, he's pulling away from us still. We're gonna discontinue," law enforcement on the ground can be heard in the video.

"He is not exiting. He's staying westbound. Well over 100 miles an hour," another voice said.

As officers on the ground had to slow their chase for safety reasons, State Patrol watched the rider from their plane above.

"Okay, this guy's westbound going over 100. We're still on him. Westbound C-470 zigzagging in and out of traffic," law enforcement watching from above said.

Sgt. Ivan Alvarado says CSP chooses to give chase on a case-by-case basis, since doing so in a vehicle can be dangerous.

"We always evaluate the reason why we're pulling them over, and then we take into account our safety, their safety, and the safety of everybody around us," Alvarado said.

But the aircraft allows them to track a suspect until they can be safely stopped.

"Having somebody up there just telling us, you know, they made a right turn, left turn," Alvarado said, "instead of driving fast with our motorcycles or with our patrol cars, putting people in danger, all we're doing is positioning ourselves in the path that that motorcycle or vehicle is taking, and then all we do is take a shortcut and cut them off at the end."

As the aircraft followed, the rider reached speeds over 120 miles per hour.

"When the suspect finally, you know, thinks that nobody is seeing them, thinks that he got away. No, we're going to be around the corner," Alvarado said.

"Pull over!" a Jefferson County motor deputy can be heard shouting at the rider in the video.

Those deputies finally stopped the rider on eastbound I-70 at the Youngfield exit.

"Kind of boxed him in, and thankfully, that was the one right choice he made. Not keep pushing this, and he safely came to a complete stop," Alvarado said.

That driver is now facing felony charges.

"It has been a problem that has been increasing the last few years," Alvarado said.

Alvarado says he's seen motorcyclists getting more bold and reckless on Colorado roads.

"We most likely all have a story of them taking off, and I personally have seen the increase," Alvarado said.

Alvarado says both eluding incidents and motorcycle crashes are increasing, and he says the majority of time the motorcycle rider is at fault.

"Even the ones that are not doing this level of recklessness are still killing themselves," Alvarado said. "Why would you be putting yourself at that much risk over a fine?"

Coloado State Patrol wants riders to know: It's not worth it to run.

"Use some common sense. You know, it's not worth it to elude. It's not worth it to put yourself at risk," Alvarado said. "The chances that you will get away with it more and more decrease as we increase with technology."

State Patrol considers the operation a success and plans to do more like it.

The ultimate goal is to save lives on Colorado's roads.