MOTORCYCLE RIDER PLEADS GUILTY IN FATAL BIKE CRASH

The motorcycle rider who struck and killed a bicyclist while attempting to evade a state parks ranger has pleaded guilty and will be sentenced to four years in state prison, a Carlsbad police lieutenant said Monday.

It was the second of two bicycle fatalities in August that, combined with an increase in e-bike collisions over the previous two years, led the City Council to declare a local emergency and allocate money for new and increased traffic safety measures.

Eric Monte Burns, 29, was headed north on Carlsbad Boulevard on Aug. 15 when he hit and killed Bradley “Brad” Allen Catcott, 68, of Solana Beach near Palomar Airport Road. Burns was being chased by a park ranger who had tried to stop him on suspicion of speeding and reckless driving. Burns and his passenger on the motorcycle, a 22-yearold woman, suffered serious injuries in the crash.

Burns is scheduled to be formally sentenced March 16, according to the county District Attorney’s Office. A charge of driving under the influence was dropped as part of the plea.

The other fatality occurred Aug. 7 at Basswood Avenue and Valley Street where Christine Embree, 35, was hit by an SUV while riding an e-bike with her 16month-old daughter, who was uninjured. That collision has been referred to the District Attorney’s Office but so far no charges have been announced, Carlsbad police Lt. Alonso DeVelasco said Monday in a presentation to the city’s Traffic and Mobility Commission.

After the two fatalities the city declared a state of emergency, citing a 233 percent increase in collisions involving bicycles and e-bikes since 2019. The emergency allowed city officials to expedite expenditures for enhanced enforcement, new traffic safety measures and driving education programs.

E-bike collisions with injuries have dropped significantly since the city began the program, DeVelasco said Monday. There were two injury accidents reported in February, down from four in January and 10 in February 2022.