Red light jumping cyclist arrested after police helicopter chase

Police in California called in helicopter backup to find a cyclist who jumped a red light. After a short chase on foot, officers lost sight of the suspect before California Highway Patrol's air operations department spotted him hiding on a roof.

The department's official Facebook page said the the officers had tried to apprehend the cyclist early on Tuesday morning after he allegedly jumped a red light at a junction in Redwood City, in Northern California's Bay Area.

But when the rider failed to stop, abandoning the bicycle and fleeing on foot, the Redwood City Police Department and San Mateo County Sheriff's Office were called in to establish a perimeter around the surrounding streets.

The helicopter unit soon found the suspect hiding on a roof. Redwood City Fire Department helped return the man to the police who arrested him for evading a police officer and resisting arrest.

Art Montiel, a spokesperson for CHP Redwood City said officers found methamphetamines and drug paraphernalia during the arrest and noted the suspect had outstanding felony and misdemeanour warrants.

"Bicyclists are supposed to be like any other vehicle," Montiel said. "They are required to follow the rules of the road." He explained while his officers "may not typically stop" cyclists during the day, "when you see [cyclists] doing something at night, there might be something going on."

The CHP's social media post thanked all four departments involved in the chase for their quick response and assistance to the incident which happened around 3am on Tuesday morning.

In May, police at a university in Dallas tasered a cyclist after the rider jumped a red light. The police department, described colloquially as "Campus Cowboys", defended its officer's actions, saying the 34-year-old man was tasered for resisting arrest after taking them on a five-minute "tour of the surrounding area".