A motorcyclist suspected of leading law enforcement on a 100 mph chase crashed Tuesday morning in the 9000 block of La Posta Road (County Road 213), about five miles south of Durango.
The driver was identified as Richard McDonald, 45, who lives near Ignacio. He was taken to Mercy Regional Medical Center with nonlife-threatening injuries, said Dan Bender, La Plata County Sheriff’s Office spokesman.
A Mercy spokesman said he was treated at the hospital and released. Then he was taken to the La Plata County Jail where he was being held Tuesday night on $10,000 bail, Bender said.
The incident started at 10:09 a.m. when a deputy saw McDonald leave a liquor store near Walmart and recognized him as having a couple of arrest warrants, Bender said. The deputy attempted to stop McDonald, but he hopped on his motorcycle and sped away, Bender said.
The deputy pursued McDonald at 70 mph, but McDonald allegedly fled at an estimated 100 mph. The chase went past Home Depot and south on La Posta Road.
During the pursuit, the motorcyclist went through a construction zone with flaggers and one-lane traffic, endangering work crews, Bender said.
McDonald crashed going around a curve, Bender said.
His medium-size black Kawasaki sustained heavy damage.
McDonald had warrants in connection to a property crime and a failure to appear in court, Bender said.
shane@durangoherald.com
