FRANKLIN, Ind. — Investigators in Johnson County say they're seeing a dangerous spike on the streets — people on motorcycles and sport bikes daring deputies to try to stop and arrest them.
Some are even recording police pursuits and posting them on social media.
Dashcam video recorded Aug. 12 by the Johnson County Sheriff's Office shows a deputy, sirens blaring, trying to stop a motorcycle from weaving in the road and going way over the speed limit.
Investigators said it's part of a troubling trend.
They said they've had more motorcyclists goading officers into a game of "catch me if you can."
"It's very dangerous," Johnson County Sheriff's Office Maj. Andy Fisher said. "It is almost as if they are looking at it as a sport. They're cutting people off, not using the appropriate signals, making it a dangerous situation for everyone that's driving in this county, antagonizing police."
And that's not all.
The latest danger?
Bikers bragging about the felony of fleeing police online.
"We've found many that are wearing GoPros on their helmets or even on their bikes so they can videotape the event and then post it on social media," Fisher said.
Driver James Price has seen the danger when he's on the road and saw the videos on YouTube.
"They're riding on their bikes with their GoPros, weaving in and out of traffic with a lot of near misses," Price said. "It still goes with the whole endangerment of themselves and others, so I'm not a not a fan of it, not at all."
"It's a total disregard for human life," Fisher said.
And it's not just the sheriff's office dealing with the danger and an increase in chases involving motorcycles.
Whiteland Police told 13News they've had a big spike in pursuits with reckless motorcycles, too.
They reported three pursuits in 2023, with one arrest.
Then, numbers nearly tripled this year.
Whiteland had eight motorcycle pursuits in 2024, all in June, July and August. Three of those riders were arrested.
Johnson County prosecutors charged two riders recently.
They have a message for motorcyclists who think it's a game: if it's safe, they will chase, with a goal of making the arrest and getting danger off the streets.
"We're not going to allow people to risk other people's lives down here," Fisher said.