Watch as police catch up with motorcyclist captured speeding at more than 300 kilometres per hour in Spain
It was a video the reckless rider uploaded to social media, which a member of the public reported anonymously, that allowed officers to positively identify the biker
There are some individuals whose recklessness knows no bounds. This is the story of a motorcyclist who drove on the motorways of Madrid at suicidal speeds, exceeding 300 kilometres per hour (187 miles per hour), with absolute disregard for the safety of other road users. He also did so with his number plate folded over to avoid identification by traffic police, however it was his enormous ego that led him to share videos of his 'feats' on social media, which ultimately resulted in his arrest.
The man, a resident of the Madrid town of Parla, filmed himself speeding at 302 kilometres per hour on stretches of the M-50 motorway limited to 120, as well as at 280 kph on a stretch limited to 90 (more than three times the permitted speed) and at 115 kph on a stretch of 50 kph road.
Confidentially report any crime seen on internet
The police investigation began at the end of February thanks to a social media user who alerted officers to a video of a motorcyclist travelling at extreme speeds on the roads of Madrid. The individual made the report via the email address redesabiertas@policia.es, where members of the public can confidentially report any crime they find being committed on the internet. The person reported a video in which a motorcyclist was seen accelerating until the speedometer hit 302. The biker filmed himself committing the reckless acts with a camera on the handlebars of a high-powered Aprilia, which he then shared with his followers on social media.
Investigators from the Central Cybercrime Unit of the National Police were able to detect three other social media posts in which the same motorcyclist committed other speeding offences on motorways and dual carriageways in Madrid. Officers were able to determine that the motorbike appearing in all the videos was the same, and that the driver was riding with the number plate folded inwards to prevent identification.
However, it didn't take officers to find the identity of the user of the social media account who posted the videos and verify that his name was down as the owner of a motorbike of the same make and model as seen in the videos. The man arrested was in Parla for allegedly committing crimes against road safety.
According to Article 379.1 of Spain's Penal Code, in addition to the withdrawal of his driving licence, he could be punished with a prison sentence of three to six months or a hefty fine.
In the video the biker is seen 'popping' wheelies at 150 kph and zigzagging dangerously between cars at 230 kph, with his mobile phone -acting as a GPS - attached to the fairing and a key ring with army shields on it blowing in the wind. Such vanity is going to cost him dearly.
