News Report: Video of Motorcyclist Doing Fatal Wheelie Erased

[calculusballer]

Video of Motorcyclist Doing Fatal Wheelie Erased
Updated: Thursday, Sep. 16, 2004 - 6:32 AM

FREDERICK, Md. (AP) - Whoever erased a videotape purportedly showing a motorcyclist doing a fatal wheelie along U.S. 340 could face criminal charges, the Frederick County state's attorney said Wednesday.

State police said the cameraman was with Holding It Big Entertainment, a Baltimore-based company with a World Wide Web site featuring video and photographs of similar stunts.

Holding It Big didn't return telephone calls placed Wednesday by The Associated Press to a number obtained Tuesday from the company's World Wide Web site. The number was no longer on the Web site Wednesday.

State's attorney Scott Rolle said police were still investigating the death Sunday of Paul Ray Matlock, 21, of Walkersville. Matlock died after crashing into a tow truck parked along the roadside about three miles south of Frederick while riding on only the rear wheel of his bike Sunday afternoon, according to police and witness reports.

The stunt was videotaped by a man with Holding It Big who was riding in a vehicle next to Matlock, Trooper David Ward said Tuesday. Ward told The Frederick News-Post the tape had been erased twice by the time police got it from the man who made it. He wouldn't say who made the recording.

"We know a lot, but we are still trying to put it all together," Ward said.

Rolle said that if the videotape contained evidence of someone driving in a reckless manner, erasing it could lead to charges of obstruction of justice or hindering an investigation.

"I'm not saying that any of that occurred, but that's what we would be looking at," he said.

Ward said Matlock was among seven motorcyclists riding west on the four-lane highway Sunday afternoon when he lost control of his bike. Another cyclist in the group also was doing wheelies, he said.

Both men were wearing helmets, shirts and shoes, but neither was wearing pants or underwear, police said.

Ward said two vehicles were following the group to block traffic from behind, and a third was traveling next to the stunt riders so a passenger could videotape them.

Logos on Matlock's motorcycle and helmet read "Holding It Big Productions," police said.

The company's Web site includes video of motorcyclists doing wheelies down highways, riding on their front wheels only, climbing atop moving motorcycles, crashing and displaying their bloody wounds.

The Web site also says the company planned to film footage this summer in Frederick County and the Washington metropolitan area for a documentary called "Metro Mayhem." The goal of the project, according to the Web site, was to earn public respect and support and "to bring a form of entertainment to this area that is typically rejected due to lack of style, purpose and organization."

Company president Ben Meacham told WHAG-TV that his company is having T-shirts and stickers made in honor of Matlock but he refused to comment directly on Matlock's death.

Matlock's funeral is scheduled for Friday. One of his friends, Ben Wilson, said Tuesday that Matlock "died doing something that made him happy."

(Copyright 2004 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

[Jokertlr]

Originally Posted by calculusballer

Both men were wearing helmets, shirts and shoes, but neither was wearing pants or underwear, police said.

What the hell... That would be a bad time to crash...

[sjlee]

Originally Posted by calculusballer

The Web site also says the company planned to film footage this summer in Frederick County and the Washington metropolitan area for a documentary called "Metro Mayhem." The goal of the project, according to the Web site, was to earn public respect and support and "to bring a form of entertainment to this area that is typically rejected due to lack of style, purpose and organization."

Company president Ben Meacham told WHAG-TV that his company is having T-shirts and stickers made in honor of Matlock but he refused to comment directly on Matlock's death.

Matlock's funeral is scheduled for Friday. One of his friends, Ben Wilson, said Tuesday that Matlock "died doing something that made him happy."

(Copyright 2004 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

Heh... "earn public respect" by doing stunts on the public streets while bottomless?

Then the company has the gall to try to profit from his death by selling t-shirts and stickers? If they have any shred of dignity, they'll donate all the money to either the guy's family or a charity.

I didn't realize riding bottomless doing wheelies made someone happy... whatever floats your boat I guess.