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COTTONWOOD HEIGHTS, Utah (ABC4) — A member of a motorcycle group that police say was violating traffic laws and driving recklessly has been charged after allegedly leading law enforcement on a chase.
Neil Alexander Packer, 32, has been charged with failure to respond to an officer’s signal to stop with a gang enhancement, a third-degree felony. He is also facing misdemeanor charges of reckless endangerment, obstruction of justice, restricted use of a closed highway, reckless driving, aggravated disorderly conduct on a street/highway, and obstructing a sidewalk.
According to documents, on May 23, 2025, a Utah Highway Patrol (UHP) trooper responded to an agency’s request for assistance regarding a “large group of motorcycles” that were driving recklessly, causing traffic accidents, and ignoring traffic laws.
The UHP trooper was called to a 7-Eleven gas station on Wasatch Boulevard, where the group of motorcyclists was being monitored. When law enforcement attempted to make contact with the group, “many of them began to disperse,” documents say.
As the group dispersed, the trooper noticed one of the motorcycles did not have a license plate and attempted a traffic stop. A red dirt bike then allegedly cut directly in front of his patrol vehicle, preventing the trooper from completing the traffic stop. The driver of the red dirt bike was interfering with traffic and committing violations.
The trooper turned his attention to the red dirt bike, which he later learned was being driven by Packer. According to documents, Packer “looked directly at the trooper, pointed his middle finger, and refused to stop.” The trooper attempted a traffic stop, but Packer “continued to evade.”
Packer joined up with about a dozen motorcycles that “ignored traffic control devices.” The Star 9 helicopter, belonging to the Utah Department of Public Safety (DPS), was in the vicinity and located Packer and the other motorcycles according to the trooper’s description.
The group of motorcycles entered the Butler Middle School parking lot, where the Cottonwood Heights Police Department attempted to stop them, but they managed to flee from police.
The Star 9 helicopter pursued the red dirt bike Packer was driving, and the UHP trooper observed Packer speeding down the shoulder on the wrong side of traffic. Multiple vehicles had to swerve to “avoid colliding with the approaching bikes,” documents say.
When the group reached Fort Union Boulevard, Packer split off from the group and drove to the Hog Wallow Pub in Cottonwood Heights. The Star 9 helicopter and trooper were still pursuing, and Packer was observed hiding the red dirt bike in some bushes before entering the pub.
Later, after exiting the Hog Wallow Pub, the UHP trooper took Packer into custody. The red dirt bike was located in the bushes, and a records check revealed that it had expired registration, no insurance, and no license plate. Packer was charged with infractions for a license plate violation and expired registration.
Packer was arrested and booked into the Salt Lake County Jail. He was initially held on bail but is no longer in custody. A summons to appear before a judge is being arranged by the court, according to filings.