A Des Moines man was arrested Wednesday night after leading law enforcement on a 13-mile high-speed pursuit through West Des Moines because he was “being dumb” and having “fun.”
Shawn Wayne Knakmuhs, 46, of 8011 Warren Dr., Des Moines, was charged eluding and issued citations for three counts of speeding, one count of reckless driving and one count of failure to respond to steady red light.
The incident began about 8:30 p.m. Wednesday on Raccoon River Drive near S. 88th Street in West Des Moines, where a patrolling Dallas County Deputy Sheriff observed a motorcycle, driven by Knakmuhs, traveling 71 mph in the 55 mph speed zone, according to court records.
The deputy pursued the motorcycle at speeds of 100 mph and with his lights and sirens activated, but Knakmuhs “failed to bring the motorcycle to a stop,” according to court records.
When Knakmuhs stopped for a red light at the intersection of Grand Avenue and Scenic View Drive in Polk County, the deputy made contact with him and “ordered” him “to turn the motorcycle off, which he did not,” according to court records.
Instead, Knakmuhs told the deputy that “he was going home” and told the deputy “to follow him.”
Knakmuhs “then proceeded to drive over 100 mph in the 35 mph speed zone and ran the red light at Grand Avenue and Fuller Road,” finally stopping the vehicle at a residence at 906 13th St. in West Des Moines.
“Upon being taken into custody,” Knakmuhs told the deputy that “he was being dumb and was just trying to have fun,” according to court records.
Knakmuhs was held in the Dallas County Jail on a $1,000 cash or surety bond. He is scheduled for a preliminary hearing July 25 in Dallas County District Court.
*A criminal charge is merely an accusation, and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
