Courtesy: Clearwater Police Department
CLEARWATER, Fla. - Clearwater police arrested Gerardo Javier Garcia on Tuesday after receiving several phone calls and photos from citizens who said he was riding a motorcycle with a toddler tucked between his legs on the gas tank.
According to police, an officer saw Garcia and the child heading northbound on Ewing Street near Court Street in Clearwater. The officer said when he turned on his lights and sirens the motorcycle fled at a high rate of speed and ran a red light.
The officer immediately stopped and did not pursue the motorcycle due to the circumstances. Other officers said they also saw the motorcycle driving recklessly throughout the city.
When officers eventually caught up with Garcia, he told them he fled from police because he did not have a license and he didn’t want to go to jail.
Garcia faces charges of child neglect, driving without a valid license and fleeing police.