Williamson Co Sheriff’s releases dashcam showing motorcycle chase that crashed into a patrol vehicle

The Williamson County Sheriff’s Office released dash cam video of a patrol vehicle being hit by a motorcyclist, leading Herrin police on a chase.

According to the sheriff’s office, they released the video and addressed some public comments regarding the crash. They said they requested Illinois State Police investigate the crash “in the interest of transparency.”

The crash happened around 12:50 a.m. on May 26 when a stationary Williamson County Sheriff’s Office patrol vehicle was hit by a motorcycle at the intersection of Illinois Route 13 (Deyoung Street) and Carbon Street in Marion. The motorcyclist was involved in a chase with Herrin police at the time, and the patrol vehicle did have its emergency lights on.

According to the sheriff’s office, the patrol vehicle that was hit was one of numerous patrol vehicles stopped at major intersections along the path of the chase to prevent other drivers from crossing into the path of the fleeing motorcycle.

The dashcam video from the lead patrol vehicle in the chase shows the motorcyclist leaving his lane before the intersection, crossing a traffic lane to the north and heading toward the patrol vehicle.

Deputies say the video shows the motorcyclist start to veer right a few seconds before hitting the vehicle, but failed to miss the push number of the vehicle by inches, resulting in the crash.

They say the motorcycle was going nearly 100 miles per hour when it came up to the intersection.