PORT ORANGE, Fla. – Police say they’ve arrested a Texas fugitive who tried running from a traffic stop as he recklessly rode a motorcycle in Port Orange last week.
Mason Day, 28, faces charges of fleeing or eluding law enforcement at high speed, resisting an officer without violence and fugitive from justice, records show.
According to Day’s arrest affidavit, an officer was notified by Volusia County Central Dispatch early Wednesday, June 19, of a male and female driving recklessly on a motorcycle, heading southbound on Ridgewood Avenue from South Daytona. The officer reported catching up with the motorcycle and turning on its red and blue lights, yet as the bike moved from the inside lane to the outside lane as if to stop, its operator — identified as Day — sped away without warning, investigators said.
Switching off their emergency lights and reducing their own speed, the officer continued down Ridgewood Avenue until reaching the south city limits and hearing word that Day had turned around to head back north, according to the affidavit. Day passed the officer, who then turned around and headed north with their lights and sirens still off, the affidavit states. The officer saw the motorcyclist turn into a mobile home park in the 6000 block of Ridgewood Avenue and followed him to the rear of the neighborhood as he came to a stop, according to the document.
As Day disembarked, the officer exited their patrol vehicle and told Day to “come here,” the affidavit states. Day took off running behind a trailer and back around again as the officer ineffectively deployed a Taser and forced Day to the ground in a scuffle, police said.
The officer put Day in handcuffs with help from a Volusia County Sheriff’s Office deputy, yet the 28-year-old reportedly provided law enforcement with a fake name during his arrest. Day was later identified as a resident of Comanche, Texas, with an active arrest warrant out of that state regarding aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, according to police.
According to the affidavit, Day said his ankle had been broken. He was taken to a hospital where it was determined Day suffered a broken leg and was otherwise treated and cleared by medical staff, the affidavit states.
In body-worn camera video of Day’s arrest, he can be heard telling the officers, “I’m from Texas dude, I played football, that was a good tackle.”
Day is being held at the Volusia County Branch Jail on no bond pursuant to the fugitive from justice charge.
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