A motorcyclist accused of popping wheelies and traveling nearly twice the speed limit got a stern roadside lesson after catching the attention of a Pinal County Sheriff’s Office deputy. The department shared footage of the encounter as part of its “Fridays With Frank” series, and Deputy Frank wasn’t particularly amused by what he had witnessed.
According to the sheriff’s office, Frank spotted the motorcyclist performing wheelies while traveling at a high rate of speed. He quickly caught up with the rider and brought the stunt riding to an end, making it clear that the behavior wasn’t going to fly in Pinal County.
The resulting traffic stop appears to have been tense, with Frank confronting the rider about the danger of performing stunts and speeding around other traffic. Things apparently didn’t get any less frustrating when the motorcyclist pulled out his phone during the encounter.
The sheriff’s office didn’t provide details about any citations or charges resulting from the stop in its post. Instead, the department used the encounter to send a straightforward message to other riders thinking about doing the same thing: “DON’T RIDE LIKE THAT IN PINAL COUNTY.”
Biker Gets a Stern Warning After Wheelies and Excessive Speed
Please give this video a second to load.
The video starts strong with Deputy Frank stopping at a highway in the middle of traffic to stop a motorcycle rider who was riding recklessly. You can tell just how serious the situation was by how strict Deputy Sloup was in detailing exactly what was happening and why.
Fortunately, the motorcycle rider didn’t make things difficult for Sloup, despite being told he would be under arrest after being seen driving erratically and speeding. In fact, the rider seemed to understand that he had made a really dumb decision that could have potentially cost his life or even the lives of others.
At the end, Deputy Sloup informs the rider that he is being arrested but not taken to jail. Sloup wrote a citation for the rider to sign that both assess that he understands what he did and acknowledges that he will see a judge for it.
According to the charges, he was accused of doing a wheelie in Pinal County, going criminally over the speed limit, and having his license plate obscured. Honestly, I think he got off pretty easy.
Comments Say ‘Dad Mode’ Was Activated During Heated Traffic Stop
The sheriff’s office’s video had plenty of viewers talking about just how stern Frank became during the encounter. One commenter joked that Frank was so serious that they somehow felt like they were the one in trouble, while another described the moment as “Dad mode activated.”
The motorcyclist’s decision to use his phone during the stop also attracted plenty of attention. Several commenters couldn’t believe he would make a phone call while Frank was already visibly frustrated, and one joked that when the rider stopped talking on the phone only to begin texting, they were convinced he was about to make the situation even worse.
Others focused on the riding that led to the stop in the first place. One commenter pointed to the stunt equipment on the motorcycle and predicted the rider would probably perform wheelies again, while another rider recalled being stopped for doing a wheelie and said they appreciated officers taking dangerous stunt riding seriously.
Despite all the jokes about Frank’s reaction, some viewers emphasized how dangerous the behavior could have been around other motorists. One commenter suggested the deputy may have ultimately saved the rider’s life by stopping him, while others agreed that popping wheelies at high speeds in traffic can turn a stunt into a serious crash very quickly.