21-year-old charged after motorcycle collision with Finnish police officer

A 21-year-old man has been charged with violently resisting a public official after allegedly crashing into a police motorcycle while fleeing a stop in Kontiolahti in May 2025, Yle reports. The prosecutor is seeking a prison sentence.

The man was riding a minicross motorcycle after attending a gathering for moped riders at the Uuro moped track. He is also charged with aggravated endangerment of traffic safety and driving a vehicle without a licence.

According to the charges, he was riding an unregistered motorcycle of about 120cc that was not suitable for road traffic on Old Nurmes Road. Police signalled for him to stop, but he continued fleeing.

A motorcycle officer followed him for several kilometres in an attempt to stop him. The man eventually collided with the right side of the police motorcycle, which was travelling at about 60 kilometres per hour.

The officer managed to reduce the motorcycle’s speed before the collision, so the impact hit the motorcycle rather than the officer. The officer was not injured. The man fell and continued fleeing on foot, but was later caught with the help of the Eastern Finland Police Department and tips from the public.

The National Bureau of Investigation initially investigated the case as an attempted murder. The suspected offence was later reduced to attempted manslaughter during the pre-trial investigation. The charges brought to court concern violent resistance to a public official, aggravated endangerment of traffic safety and driving without a licence.

In an interview with Yle in October, Detective Chief Superintendent Jarkko Timonen, who led the National Bureau of Investigation inquiry, said the man admitted during the pre-trial investigation that he had been riding the motorcycle and had collided with the police officer. He denied doing so intentionally.

The prosecutor argues that the man must have understood that the collision would probably cause serious injury to the officer.

Video recordings of the incident, along with photographs of the vehicles and damage to the police motorcycle, have been submitted as evidence.

The case was heard at the North Karelia District Court on Thursday. The verdict will be issued later.