Motorcyclist performs wheelie then dies after colliding with SUV in Tacoma’s West End
A 21-year-old motorcyclist was killed Monday after he drove into a turning sports utility vehicle in Tacoma’s West End.
The 1:33 p.m. collision at North Pearl and North 30th streets was witnessed by several people, Tacoma police said. The witnesses said the motorcyclist was speeding and performing a wheelie — where the driver lifts the front wheel of the motorcycle into the air and rides it for a short duration.
Arriving officers and fire personnel performed CPR on the motorcyclist. He died after being transported to a local hospital. Police said the motorcyclist was an Arlington, Washington resident.
The occupant of the SUV was not injured, and the intersection was closed during the investigation. The motorcycle was a BMW 1000.
Tacoma police spokesman detective William Muse said the SUV was traveling north on Pearl. As the driver was turning east onto North 30th Street, they were struck by the motorcyclist. The impact was forceful enough to spin the SUV 180 degrees.
Another driver headed north on Pearl before the collision said the motorcyclist passed them while performing a wheelie. The witness then turned into a gas station near the intersection.
“Seconds later he hears the crash,” Muse said.
