Tennessee incidents raise concern among motorcyclists

PICKERINGTON, Ohio -- Two recent incidents in Blount County, Tennessee,

have motorcyclists concerned about the relationship between riders and police in

the area, the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) reports.

On March 10, Philip M. Laton, 27, a corrections officer from Knoxville,

Tenn., was killed when his motorcycle apparently hit a guard rail and then

collided with a police car driven by Rockford Police Sgt. James R. Johnson.

Witnesses alleged that Johnson's car swerved into the motorcycle, which was

passing it from behind.

The Tennessee Highway Patrol, which is investigating the fatality, has

stated that videotape from a camera mounted in Johnson's cruiser indicates "the

witnesses' account is accurate." Johnson has been placed on paid leave and faces

possible criminal charges.

Five weeks earlier, another motorcyclist, James B. Riddle, 19, of

Maryville, Tenn., suffered near-fatal injuries in a crash following a high-speed

chase involving another Rockford police officer in the same area. Riddle

reportedly was hospitalized for 29 days before being released.

The AMA notes that in both cases, the motorcyclists involved apparently

were breaking traffic laws, resulting in the police response. But the

Association is concerned that the actions of the officers may have played some

part in turning a traffic violation into something far worse. The Association is

looking into these incidents and plans a report in the June issue of American

Motorcyclist magazine, the journal of the AMA.

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