Motorcyclist tops 140 mph during pursuit on Gandy Bridge, troopers say

Emily Wunderlich, Tampa Bay Times
·1 min read
19

A motorcyclist was arrested after state troopers say he topped speeds of 140 mph during a chase on the Gandy Bridge this weekend.

According to arrest affidavits from the Florida Highway Patrol, Joseph Lee Strain, 24, of Tampa was traveling east on the Gandy Bridge about 1 a.m. Sunday when troopers tried to stop him for not having a registration tag.

When a state trooper activated the lights and sirens in his patrol car, Strain “accelerated to speeds of over 140 miles an hour,” the affidavits state.

Strain continued to flee onto Westshore Boulevard, “taking several turns at a high rate of speed.”

“Response required approximately 8 other Pinellas and Hillsborough troopers with both Pinellas and Hillsborough air assets overhead,” the affidavit states.

Strain was eventually stopped at Falkenburg Road and U.S. 301 in Tampa, where he was arrested on charges of fleeing and eluding law enforcement, operating a motorcycle without endorsement and driving without a license. Records show he was being held at the Pinellas County Jail without bond Monday.