Florida Man Sentenced After Hitting 150 MPH On His Motorcycle During A High Speed Chase
A Florida man who fled from the Florida Highway Patrol back in February has now been sentenced for his speeding spree. According to CBS 12 News, Jose Manuel Gaviria Munoz, 24, pleaded guilty to two counts of reckless driving in a Palm Beach County court on Monday and was sentenced to 240 days in jail, 99 of which had already been served and credited. Per CW34, Munoz has reportedly had his driver's license suspended eight previous times, and did not have a motorcycle endorsement, which is legally required to ride a motorcycle over 50cc in Florida.
According to police, the pursuit was instigated when a FHP trooper allegedly saw Munoz lane-splitting with a yellow Suzuki motorcycle, license plate tilted upward. Florida isn't one of the states that allows lane filtering or lane splitting, and you have to properly display your license plate, no matter what state you're in, so they hit the reds and blues.
To Chase Or Not To Chase
Officers say that when they turned on sirens, Munoz looked back at them twice, then sped off. The ensuing chase saw the man weaving through traffic on I-95, hitting speeds as high as 150 mph. Munoz eventually lost control of the Suzuki in Boca Raton, hit a curb, and was thrown off the bike, ending the chase. Munoz is a Colombian national, so he was taken to the hospital before being booked into Palm Beach County jail, and eventually detained by ICE.
Everyone loves a good Florida Man spectacle, but this is kind of an upsetting one. Yes, police chases are dangerous and result in needless death more often than they should—and judging by how it ended, this one could've easily added to that tally. But when there's a person with a long history of flouting traffic laws, it'd be unreasonable to expect law enforcement to just... let him be.
Anyway, drive safe out there, and if you've already had your license suspended eight times, remember that they don't hand out prizes for hitting nine.