PORT ANGELES — A 35-year-old Port Angeles motorcyclist was killed, and a State Patrol trooper received minor injuries when both flew over an embankment during a high-speed chase at dusk Tuesday.
Motorcyclist Bjorn Robert Larsen died at the scene, the State Patrol said Wednesday.
He was wearing a helmet but had a suspended driver’s license and was not certified to operate motorcycles, said Trooper Russ Winger, State Patrol spokesman.
There also were outstanding arrest warrants in Larsen’s name, Winger said.
Larsen had an extensive record with the Clallam County court system — in Port Angeles and Forks — dating back to 1996, according to the state courts’ website.
The State Patrol car chasing him, driven by longtime North Olympic Peninsula Trooper Travis Beebe, was unmarked, Winger said.
The chase and fatal wreck are under investigation by State Patrol detectives, he added.
Clallam County sheriff’s deputies notified Larsen’s father, Pete Larsen of Beaver, of the death and circumstances early Wednesday.
The Larsen family did not return phone calls Wednesday afternoon.
Beebe, 37, was treated for minor injuries and discharged from Olympic Medical Center, the State Patrol said.
According to State Patrol reports, the chase began just before 8 p.m. Tuesday when the trooper tried to stop the motorcyclist for speeding on U.S. Highway 101 near Milepost 252, just west of the Morse Creek “S” curve.
Instead of pulling over, the motorcyclist took off, reaching speeds up to 90 mph, Winger said.
The chase took a right turn onto Deer Park Road and continued toward the Olympics foothills at a lower but still high rate of speed 6 miles up the road.
“This was quite a long chase,” he said.
Both the motorcycle and patrol car went over the embankment after failing to negotiate a curve.
Winger said the decision whether to stay with or abandon a high-speed chase is up to the trooper, although a supervisor can call off a chase that seems too risky.
Weather conditions, traffic and other factors are used to determine whether to continue the chase, he said.
Deer Park Road, which leads from Highway 101 to a campground high in Olympic National Park, was dry and visibility was good before sunset Tuesday evening.
The road has no outlet above the point where the chase ended.
At the point where the vehicles left the road, the road curves along a steep river valley near Frog Creek.
“It is a sweeping uphill outside curve,” Winger said.
It’s unclear what led to the men going over the embankment, but State Patrol detectives are investigating.
“Speed is definitely going to be a factor,” Winger said. “They both flew off the road.
“Both vehicles failed to negotiate the curve to the left and both went off the embankment to the right.”
The speed limit at that point is 35 mph, but the curve is marked for 25 mph.
Winger said the 90 mph speed recorded during the chase happened while the participants were on Highway 101, and was considerably lower on Deer Park Road, where the road prevents excessively high speeds.
Beebe provided regular updates on his location and speed during the chase, but it was unclear how fast the motorcycle and car were going at the time of the wreck, Winger said.
The trooper’s vehicle, a 2011 Crown Victoria, was blue and unmarked.
Winger said unmarked cars are equipped with the full array of lights and sirens, and would have been easily recognizable as a State Patrol car from the front.
“The only difference is that it didn’t have the lightning bolt on the side,” Winger said.
“It was an award car,” Winger said, noting that Beebe had earned a number of honors — including 2011 District 8 Trooper of the Year — and had been assigned to the Port Angeles area for many years.
“He was familiar with the area,” Winger said.
State Patrol troopers often assist other agencies and are familiar with county roads such as Deer Park Road, he said.
Beebe is off work for a few days to recuperate from the minor injuries. He is not on administrative leave, Winger said.
Both the 1981 Honda CB650 motorcycle and the patrol vehicle were destroyed, the State Patrol said.
Both vehicles were towed to the State Patrol yard in Port Angeles for investigation.
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Reporter Arwyn Rice can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5070, or at arwyn.rice@peninsuladailynews.com.
