A motorcyclist who teased Dearborn police officers while popping wheelies along the Southfield freeway reaching speeds of about 140 mph has been identified and charged.
Abdel Rahman Tarabah, 26, of Dearborn, allegedly went on a potentially deadly high-speed ride on April 9 after attempting to antagonize Dearborn officers.
Oakland County prosecutors have charged Tarabah with third-degree fleeing and eluding and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony.
He was arraigned in 47th District Court and bond was set at $10,000/10% cash/surety.
The charges stem from an incident that occurred at about 11:48 p.m. An officer reported that a motorcyclist was behind him trying to antagonize him.
He fled down Southfield then headed north.
Through his travels, which lasted about 30 minutes, he was reportedly clocked going down Beech Daly in Redford at about 100 miles per hour.
The incident was picked up by Michigan State Police, which followed the motorcyclist in a helicopter using its forward-looking infrared camera.
The high-definition camera located the motorcyclist traveling at excessive speeds at Telegraph and McNichols.
A traffic stop was attempted, but the vehicle fled and troopers did not pursue it.
Police were able to track Tarabah’s every move from high above in the helicopter. He was tracked into Farmington Hills and reached speeds near 100 mph before making a turnaround on Grand River between Purdue Street and Middlebelt.
High-speed, multi-city motorcycle chase ends with arrest in Farmington Hills
All of the joy-riding antics came to an end — along with his flight from law enforcement — soon after.
The high-powered motorcycle whimpered to a stop as it ran out of gas in Farmington Hills.
Tarabah can be seen on the infrared camera stepping off his bike and surrendering with his hands stretched in the air.
He had a loaded 9mm handgun on him, which was registered.
Dearborn and Redford are in line to bring charges against Tarabah for his alleged actions coming through those cities.
F/Lt. Mike Shaw of the Michigan State Police described the motorcyclist as someone who risked his own life, the lives of other drivers, and safety of police officers due to his behavior.
He commended all of the officers involved for helping to bring Tarabah into custody without anyone being hurt or killed.
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