‘What about the other guy?’ Local man charged after allegedly street racing, running from police
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IDAHO FALLS — Sometimes being first isn’t so great, as one 36-year-old man is finding out after he allegedly ran from police during a drag race with another car, reaching speeds of 80 mph down West Sunnyside Road.
According to court documents, on Nov. 8, at around 11:35 a.m., an officer with the Idaho Falls Police Department was on a traffic stop at the intersection of East Sunnyside Road and Springfield Drive when two vehicles passed in what appeared to be a drag race.
One of the vehicles was a 1981 white Volkswagen Rabbit, and the other was a black Subaru WRX. Both were allegedly heading west at an estimated speed of 60 mph.
The driver of the stopped vehicle was told he was free to go, as the officer ran back to his cruiser to chase the racing cars.
The officer pursued the Volkswagen since it was reportedly driving faster than the Subaru and was weaving in and out of traffic.
The officer reported that the Volkswagen reached speeds approaching 80 mph before turning right onto South Boulevard.
The document states that the vehicle continued north on South Boulevard at a high rate of speed, and the officer lost track of the car as it turned onto North Morningside Drive.
Neighbors in that subdivision pointed to the direction the Volkswagen was heading, but the officer was unable to locate the it.
Heading back, neighbors told the officer that the vehicle had driven into a cul-de-sac on Westmoreland Circle, where the driver was out of the vehicle on the phone.
The officer approached, asked the man if he was the driver, and, upon confirmation, placed him under arrest. The driver was identified as Brandn Moore, 36.
After being read his Miranda Rights, Moore told the officer he did not know why he was behind him and that his car was old and didn’t drive very fast. He claimed he may have been going only 50 mph.
When asked why he was driving so recklessly, Moore allegedly responded, “What about the other guy?”
Moore denied any wrongdoing or driving recklessly, according to the document.
As the conversation went on, Moore allegedly said the driver of the Subaru was trying to race him.
At the entrance to the subdivision, blue residue was found on the road, and neighbors told officers they had seen the Volkswagen “bottom out,” meaning it had scraped the asphalt. The Volkswagen’s oil pan was the same color as the blue residue, according to the document.
Moore was booked into the Bonneville County Jail where he is facing one felony count of eluding a peace officer and he is scheduled to appear for a preliminary hearing before Magistrate Judge John Dewey at 1 p.m. on Nov. 20.
A public defender has been appointed to Moore. The Idaho State Public Defender’s Office does not comment on active cases.
Although Moore has been accused of a crime, that does not necessarily mean he committed it. Everyone is presumed innocent until proven guilty. If he is found guilty, he faces up to five years in prison and up to a three year license suspension.