A 21-year-old Reading man rode an unregistered scooter and led police on a winding chase through the city over the weekend, ignoring stop signs and red lights, riding on sidewalks and driving the wrong way on several one-way streets, police said.
Clevelyn D. Rosario-Leyba was eventually apprehended and turned over to officers without further incident in the 200 block of North 11th Street after the pursuit that began at approximately 5:30 p.m. Saturday.
When asked why he fled, he reportedly told one of the officers that a family member had informed him about the police department’s policy of impounding dirt bikes, ATVs and other unregistered vehicles after drivers were caught operating illegally on the street, court documents show.
Rosario-Leyba, who lives in the 400 block of North 10th Street, was released on $5,000 bail pending a post-arraignment hearing Saturday night before District Judge Carissa L. Johnson in Reading County Court.
Rosario-Leyba is charged with fleeing or attempting to elude an officer, reckless driving, operating a registered vehicle, driving under a suspect license, fraudulent use or removal of a license plate and several traffic stops.
According to the arrest papers:
Two police officers were riding in an unmarked patrol car as part of the Reading Police Dirt Bike Task Force, traveling south on South 10th Street when they saw a man on a motorized scooter with a counterfeit license plate that had been fabricated to look like a Pennsylvania license plate.
The sign had no raised letters. An officer got no results when he entered the numbers into a database.
The police car pulled up next to the driver. The officer in the front passenger seat took a picture of the driver.
The officer ordered the motorcyclist to stop, but the motorcyclist immediately turned east onto 900 Spruce Street and drove away.
The officers in the unmarked car pursued the driver north on South Ninth Street, west on Bingaman Street, north on Chestnut Street, east on Franklin Street and the wrong way on Orange, Maple and Cherry streets before breaking off the pursuit.
Other officers continued the pursuit north on North Ninth, east on Court, north on Moss, and east (the wrong way) on Washington Street to North 11th, where the motorcyclist surrendered.
Reading police have launched a dirt bike patrol after receiving complaints about drivers of noisy off-road vehicles causing a nuisance by riding on the pavement and ignoring traffic laws.
According to PennDOT, to be legally roadworthy, a motor scooter (motor-driven bicycle as defined in the Pennsylvania Vehicle Code) must be titled and registered in the state and have the proper insurance. In order to be titled and registered, it must meet the state’s equipment and inspection requirements.
Many scooters, but also motocross bikes, do not have the necessary equipment such as mudguards, indicators and lights.
