Watch moment biker pulls death-defying wheelies in front of police car

A shocking clip shows the balaclava-clad rider first taunting officers before raising the front wheel of his dirt bike high above his head as he motors alongside them. He then holds one hand in the air while balancing on a single wheel before crossing his legs over and kneeling on his seat as part of his hair-raising stunt.

The biker, who was filmed travelling along the A58 westbound, in Leeds, later repeated his sick trick for a car filled with lads who roared him on. But when the clip was posted on social media, furious locals asked why police didn't stop the motorcyclist as soon as he began pulling his alarming manoeuvres.

Following the incident at 4pm on Sunday (Mar 26), a West Yorkshire Police spokesperson said officers could only pursue bikes if they had the right training.

They said: "The pursuit of motorbikes is permitted in West Yorkshire only by officers trained to the required level in a suitable vehicle. Any potential pursuit situation must be appropriately assessed with full consideration given to the safety of members of the public, the officers involved and the rider of the motorbike."

"We are still looking into the circumstances of this incident, but we have been able to establish that the officer involved had activated body-worn video to capture footage of the suspect and the manner of driving, before making a deliberate tactical decision to deviate from their route to de-escalate the risks around a situation involving a rider who was clearly already driving dangerously and had a high probability that he would fail to stop.

"We are aware of the level of public concern that motorbike-related crime and anti-social behaviour causes in our communities and continue to target the issue through a range of proactive operations, alongside our partner agencies."