GoPros, which are mounted cameras, are being used to capture something surprising: accidents and other traffic incidents involving motorcycles.
In Fort Worth, TX, a video surfaced last week where a group of motorcyclists were riding down the highway, when an officer got out of his car and seemingly pepper sprayed the entire group.
An ongoing investigation has begun, and the officer in question has since been pulled from patrol. Officer W. Figueroa, a member of the Fort Worth Police force since 2009, has been placed on administrative duties as of last Monday afternoon.
According to the Star-Telegram, the incident began when Figuero pulled over a pickup truck for having two passengers standing in the bed of the truck on Sunday afternoon. As the group of motorcyclists began to pass, Figueroa exited the patrol car and seems to have pepper spray in his hand.
One of the bikers captured the entire incident on video using a helmet-mounted GoPro camera. Jack Kinney, a member of the East Texas Heat and the motorcyclist who caught the incident on camera, said, “If there’s one thing I’ve learned, film everything.”
Chase Stone, president of the East Texas Heat motorcycle team, was very worried about the safety of his riders. “Scary,” Stone said. “If one or two or three of those riders had their face masks up, that would have hit them in the eyes.”
There were so many riders there that the incident “would have been a disaster on the highway,” Stone added.
Another recent video captured via GoPro, shows a motorcyclist driving recklessly and then crashing. The driver flipped over due to excessive speeding, reaching 106 miles per hour at the point of the accident.
Although not every single motorcycle accident is caught with a GoPro, there are still too many incidents each year. In 2013, there were about 8.4 million motorcycles on the road, which led to 90,000 motorcyclist injuries and 4,500 deaths.
If anyone witnesses any dangerous activity or reckless driving, they are asked to contact emergency services.