There are times when police officers will decide to allow a nonviolent individual driving a vehicle to leave the scene after violating a traffic law or a misdemeanor rather than creating the possibility of a California-style high speed car chase through bucolic Belmont. Especially so if the police knows the person breaking the law.
That's what occurred around 10:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 8 in the parking lot of the White Hen Pantry on Brighton Street. Police spotted a 24-year-old Belmont resident who was, as they say in law enforcement circles, an individual known to officers. They saw the man saddle up on a motorcycle and start the engine, an act the officers felt the man should not be doing due to past traffic incidents. Officers made a quick request for his license and registration status on the man and discovered that he was no longer registered with the state. When police entered the parking lot, the man had left. For reasons of safety, they allowed the man to leave. But knowing him and seeing him drive off, the police have issued two warrants out on him: for operating with a revoked registration and operating a motor vehicle at night with a learner's permit.
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