Lawrence motorcyclist found dead in crash after police pursuit
A 25-year-old motorcyclist was killed in a single-vehicle crash early Sunday, hours after Lawrence police tried to stop a motorcycle on a traffic violation, according to the Lawrence Police Department.
Police did not say that the motorcycle that crashed was the same that an officer tried to pull over earlier that evening. But a statement from the police department said the incident was being investigated by an outside agency, the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office.
Shortly after 1 a.m., a Lawrence police officer tried to stop a motorcycle near Monterey Way and Bob Billings Parkway for suspected reckless driving, according to dispatch audio from Broadcastify.com.
The motorcyclist refused to pull over and sped away, according to a statement released by the police department.
After a “brief pursuit,” police said, the officer ended the pursuit and left the area after losing sight of the motorcycle.
Hours later, about 5:33 a.m., a motorist called 911 and asked police to check on the condition on what they thought was a jogger in distress in the 5700 block of Bob Billings Parkway.
That location was a little less than two miles west of the area where the police officer tried to pull over a motorcycle.
Arriving officers found a motorcycle had crashed. The driver was reportedly found dead in a tree, according to a recording of dispatch audio.
The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office on Monday identified the motorcyclist killed in the wreck as Gabriel F. Sosman-Bernhardt, of Lawrence.
Lawrence police said they have asked the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office to investigate the crash. An internal review panel will review the findings to determine whether police department policies and procedures were followed, the police department’s statement said.
The officer involved in the traffic stop has been placed on administrative leave in accordance with policy, the police department said.
This story was originally published July 28, 2019 at 4:27 PM.
