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Folsom Police Officer Injured in Early Morning Pursuit

Folsom Police Officers were involved in a high speed pursuit in the early morning hours on Saturday, August 9, 2008. At approximately 2:03 a.m., officers attempted to initiate a traffic stop on a motorcycle rider for excessive speed and a red light violation in the area of East Natoma Street and Blue Ravine Road.

The motorcyclist failed to yield to officers which began a pursuit that reached speeds over 100 miles per hour, lasted for approximately 32 minutes, and covered roughly 41 miles of roadway between the City of Folsom and El Dorado County.

The motorcyclist was involved in several minor traffic collisions throughout the pursuit. The first collision occurred in the area of Latrobe Road and Highway 50.

In an attempt to flee pursuing officers, the motorcycle rider lost control and slid onto the side. The rider refused all lawful commands by law enforcement, lifted the motorcycle off the ground, and fled. A second collision occurred after the rider lost control of the motorcycle, again.

Officers positioned themselves to take the felony suspect into custody. The rider refused to comply with lawful commands, climbed onto the motorcycle and accelerated in the direction of the officers and their police vehicles, which were approximately 4 feet apart. The rider collided with the passenger side of one marked police vehicle and drove over the foot of an officer.

The suspect was eventually taken into custody at Lake Hills and Salmon Falls, in El Dorado County. The suspect, identified as James Fraser, 27 years old, was treated for minor injuries and booked into the Sacramento County Jail for felony evading and assault with a deadly weapon against a police officer.

The suspect reported at the time of his booking his employment as a police officer with Citrus Heights Police Department.