PHOENIX (KSAZ) - Phoenix police attempted to stop a motorcyclist not once, but twice on Tuesday afternoon. An air patrol followed the rider for two hours before he abandoned the motorcycle and took off on foot.
Officers first tried to stop the suspect in Mesa. From there, they followed the suspect along Interstates 10 and 17, through Cave Creek and the Desert Ridge area before finally ending at an apartment complex in central Phoenix.
The speed limit is 75 miles per hour on I-17 in north Phoenix, but the suspect didn't follow them and exited the highway at Pioneer Road. He weaved his way through the Anthem area and at one point, drove onto a dirt road, where things got a bit dicey with a few wobbles. There were a few moments where it looked as if he might've been stuck, but after a couple of minutes of off-roading, he headed back onto the street and the pursuit was on again.
The suspect went through Cave Creek and south through Desert Ridge, choosing not to get back on a freeway. He headed south past Loop 101. At one point, another motorcyclist pulled up next to him and later, a vehicle missing a hood started following the suspect. It appeared that the car's driver was trying to talk to the suspect, but the motorcyclist managed to take off at a red light.
After more than an hour, the suspect turned onto 19th Avenue, headed south from Dunlap along a new stretch of light rail. A few miles later, he decided to ditch the motorcycle in an apartment complex parking lot near 19th Avenue and Northern where someone had painted a "Good Blees" message on the roof.
For the suspect, what came next wasn't good or a blessing. Within minutes, police were at the scene, taking him into custody.
Trent Crump of the Phoenix Police Department stated the suspect, 35-year-old Robert Waits, was taken into custody without incident. He has been charged with theft of means of transportation, unlawful flight and altering a VIN.
The motorcycle was stolen out of Mesa and also had a stolen license plate. Crump says the driver will be booked and charged with auto theft.
>>VIDEO: Stolen motorcycle pursuit in Arizona
WATCH: Live police helicopter pursuit of motorcycle north of Phoenix. Suspect was believed to be riding a stolen motorcycle, and took it on a long tour of northern Phoenix...