He tried baiting another driver into a street race. That driver was a cop, police say
Street racing isn’t for everybody.
Connor Michael Proleika, 20, is charged with racing on the highway after he tried to challenge a Clearwater police officer to a Fast and Furious-like competition, according to his arrest report.
Police say Proleika was seen driving east on Courtney Campbell Causeway at about 2 a.m. Friday. He pulled up beside an officer and “revved his engine” in an attempt to “bait” him into a race, the officer wrote.
Proleika then sped off, reaching a top speed of 124 miles per hour, the report says.
When police eventually pulled him over, Proleika offered a weak justification for his actions.
“He was just trying to go fast and didn’t know I was a police officer,” the officer wrote.
Court records show Proleika’s arrest violated the terms of his probation for a previous drug possession and grand theft charge. He’s being held in a Pinellas County jail on $10,000 bond.
