With all due respect to the two-wheeled men in blue, chases involving bicycle cops and people who may or may not be inebriated never fail to make me chuckle as long as they’re of the no-harm, no-foul variety. And fondly reminds me of Lt. Jim Dangle for some reason.
With that as an intro, a member of Oregon’s 2011 recruiting class has reportedly found himself on the wrong side of a pair of, so to speak, Eugene’s finest Dangles.
According to multiple reports, freshman linebacker Tyson Coleman was arrested late Saturday night and charged with a minor being in possession of alcohol and interfering with police officers. The Eugene Register-Guard has the pertinent details.Coleman, 18, was walking near campus with a can of the alcoholic energy drink Four Loko when he was spotted by officers at the intersection of 16th & Patterson on Saturday at about 11:15 p.m. A report of the incident said the can appeared to be unopened, an EPD spokeswoman said.
When questioned by the officers, who were on bicycles, Coleman said he was 21 but could not produce identification. Coleman then threw the can and ran off; it took the officers a “considerable time” to chase him down, the spokeswoman said, during which Coleman repeatedly glanced back to see if they were still in pursuit.
Four Loko being the alcoholic beverage in question? Check. Ditching said unopened beverage after being “busted” by cops on bikes and then fleeing on foot? Check. Thwarting cops on bikes attempting to apprehend you for a “considerable time”? Check.
All told, nobody was hurt and we’re left with the lasting image of a Ducks football player ditching an unopened alcoholic energy drink and then fleeing on foot with police officers on bicycles in pursuit.
If that’s not what Memorial Day’s all about, I don’t know what is.
As for Coleman, the player, the Lake Oswego, Oreg., native was rated as the No. 20 outside linebacker in the country according to Rivals.com. He was an early enrollee and participated in spring practice with the Ducks this year.
And, coincidentally, apparently has speed to burn if USC resorts to a bicycle-heavy offense as the Trojans attempt to catch-up to the Ducks in the Pac-12.