Atwater police seek help identifying man after chase

Atwater police are asking for the public’s help to identify a man who outran officers over the weekend in a high-speed chase while riding a motorcycle.

Officers spotted the green Kawasaki motorcycle just before 6 p.m. Sunday in the 2300 block of Atwater Boulevard. Police said the rider was traveling at more than 60 mph in the residential neighborhood. The rider accelerated when the officers gave chase, running stop signs at Maple Street and Olive Avenue, at Vine Avenue and Bellevue Road, and another at Vine and Fruitland avenues, Lt. Samuel Joseph said.

The brief chase reached speeds of more than 70 mph at one point, police said.

The rider then went into an orchard off Vine Avenue and accelerated. Due to excessive dust kicked up during the pursuit, officers called off the chase.

The pursuit lasted about two minutes and covered more than two miles, police said.

The rider was said to have been wearing a black and white “jersey” and a helmet. No further details were available Monday.

Atwater police are asking anyone with information about the case to contact investigators at (209) 357-6396. Tips are confidential and callers can remain anonymous.

This story was originally published September 28, 2015 at 4:23 PM with the headline "Atwater police seek help identifying man after chase."