Manhunt in Jericho for BMX street riding pioneer Craig Grasso – BMX News
The law enforcing authorities in Jericho, Vermont, are currently hunting for the famous BMX rider Craig Grasso who is facing several charges that includes driving with a suspended licence and resisting arrest among other things last week.
Grasso, who is known as one of the pioneers of BMX street riding, was pulled over by a sheriff in front of the Jericho Center Country Store on Thursday morning, February 16, for a broken tail-light of the Toyota that he was driving.
Upon approaching the vehicle, the sheriff recognised the driver as Grasso. However, the BMX rider gave a phony name and took off on foot. The sheriff ran behind him, asking him to stop but Grasso paid no heed and kept running.
The sheriff deployed his Taser, but it remained ineffective as escaping BMX rider was wearing heavy clothing that prevented the darts from making contact with his skin.
Grasso eventually ran into the woods and disappeared from sight. The Vermont State police arrived at the scene to help the sheriff department in their hunt for the escapee. The K-9 unit was deployed but the hunt remained fruitless as the trail of scent was lost.
Talking about the incident, Lt. Robert Stebbins of the Chittenden County Sheriff’s Department explained that it is not uncommon for a Taser to fail when the target is wearing heavy clothing, nor is it rare to see the K-9 handling unit losing scent of trail as there are so many variable involved in that.
Stebbins explained that it was one of the situations where the suspect did not take out a weapon or attack the officer, so the safety of public was not under grave threat.
However, police are encouraging the residents of Jericho to keep their doors locked while the hunt for Grasso is being carried out. A small award has been offered for information that may lead to his arrest.
Grasso was a renowned BMX rider in 1980s, adept at both ramp and flatland riding. However, a nude stunt in 1986 became a turning point in his career as he lost his previous sponsors and lost the respect of majority of the BMX community.
He managed to land back on his feet a couple of years later after finding new sponsors and helping in the emergence of a new form of riding, BMX street, transforming BMX freestyle from a marketing strategy to a lifestyle.
Grasso did not stay in the BMX freestyle scene for too long, but he surely left a long-lasting impression in it.
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