Police: One rider charged, injured rider not found after 911 call about six street bikes in Rochester

ROCHESTER Rochester police arrested one motorcycle rider and used a K9 team and a drone to search for another who ran off injured after a crash Sunday night, the department said Monday.

Joshua Santos was arrested and charged with failure to stop for police and resisting arrest, Rochester police said in a Facebook post Monday morning, Nov. 9. The second rider, whom police have not named, was not found, and the department said the investigation remains ongoing.

Police said both riders were part of a group of six street bikes reported in a 911 call, and that the response drew in three outside agencies, overtime and extra shift coverage, a cost the department said falls on taxpayers.

What police say happened

A motorist called 911 to report that six street bikes were "harassing, intimidating, and taunting them" while traveling through town, police said in the post, which described the caller as frightened.

Officers told a second rider to stop, police said, and that rider instead crashed into a street sign and a fence. The operator got up and was approached by a motorist who noticed the rider was bleeding and hurt and who offered to help and call an ambulance, according to the department, which said the operator ran off rather than accept medical attention. Police said they are holding two motorcycles for now.

The search

Because the operator was visibly injured, police said, they were concerned the rider could have fled into the woods, collapsed or suffered life-threatening injuries. Police Chief Michael A. Assad Jr. helped Sgt. Connor Leddin coordinate additional resources, the department said, including a K9 team, a drone flown by Leddin and midnight shift coverage so residents kept police protection while officers were tied up with the search.

"We weren't searching for this individual just to make an arrest," the post said. "We were searching because someone was injured, bleeding, and potentially lying somewhere in the woods needing lifesaving medical attention."

Police said they did not locate the operator and suspect a friend may have picked the rider up. The department issued a Be On the Lookout notice and told surrounding hospitals in case the rider sought treatment. In the post, the department told the rider "we sincerely hope you're okay" and said it would like to talk with the person.

The cost and who helped

The department said the added personnel, specialized resources, overtime and shift coverage all cost money, calling it "taxpayer money being spent because someone decided that stopping and having a conversation with a police officer was apparently too much to ask."

In a statement in the post, Assad recognized Leddin, Sgt. Catherine Connolly, Detective Paul Douglas and Officers Coyman, Andrew Mattos and Carthas. "Their commitment to protecting our residents while also making every effort to locate an injured individual is exactly what Team RPD is all about," he said.

Assad also thanked the Plymouth County Sheriff's Department K9 Unit, the Massachusetts Environmental Police, the Marion Police Department and the dispatchers at the Regional Old Colony Communications Center. "This is why our law enforcement partnerships are so important, especially in smaller communities like Rochester," he said.

The department said it supports responsible motorcycle riders, and it thanked the motorist who stopped to help. "Our residents deserve to travel through Rochester without being intimidated or harassed," the post said.

What happens next

The department said the case has one upcoming court date. South Coast 360 asked Rochester police for that date and the court, whether Santos has been arraigned (the first court step, where the charges are read and a plea is entered), whether the second rider faces charges, what became of the other riders and what the response cost, and this story will be updated with the answers. Santos is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.

Label: Reported by us, from the town's posted records.