A 32-year-old man was arrested in Ocala after he fled from a Marion County Sheriff’s Office corporal while riding a motorcycle that did not have a license plate attached.
On Friday, April 7, the MCSO corporal was on patrol in Ocala when a motorcycle was observed without a license plate. The corporal attempted to conduct a traffic stop, but the motorcyclist, identified as Matthew Lee Price, refused to stop.
Price began to weave in and out of traffic, and he drove between several vehicles that were stopped at the intersection of SW College Road and SW 17th Street in Ocala, according to dashcam footage that was released by MCSO.
On the footage, the corporal entered the oncoming lane to maneuver around the stopped vehicles, and the corporal then positioned the patrol vehicle in front of the motorcycle’s path.
The corporal exited the patrol vehicle and was struck by the motorcycle as Price attempted to travel through the intersection. The corporal quickly removed Price from the motorcycle and detained him in handcuffs.
Price told the corporal that he had fled because the motorcycle did not have a license plate attached. He further admitted that he removed the license plate to “avoid paying tolls while driving to Lakeland,” according to MCSO.
Price was arrested, transported to Marion County Jail, and he was later released on $2,000 bond. He is facing a felony charge for fleeing or eluding a law enforcement officer with lights and siren active.
A court date has not been scheduled yet, according to jail records.
In a social media post, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office stated, “Citizens, it’s a bad idea to flee from law enforcement. It puts a lot of people at risk of being hurt or killed. And it makes a bad situation much, much worse.”
According to MCSO, Price would have only been cited for a non-moving violation and been required to pay a $116 fine if he had stopped the motorcycle when the corporal attempted the traffic stop.
Instead, Price was arrested for a third-degree felony and, if convicted, faces up to five years in prison, a $5,000 fine, a mandatory driver’s license suspension of one to five years, and a mandatory adjudication of guilt (which would make him a convicted felon).