URBANA — A Champaign man who police say fled from them on a stolen motorcycle, got in an accident, and then ran from them is being held in lieu of $150,000 bond.

Assistant State's Attorney Steve Ziegler said Bernard J. Caple, 35, who listed an address in the 1900 block of Galen Drive was charged Tuesday with possession of a stolen vehicle, a Class 2 felony. He's due back in court Oct. 4.

Ziegler said a University of Illinois police officer first spotted Caple about 8:30 a.m. Monday in the 0-100 block of East Armory Avenue in Champaign. The officer tried to stop him for speeding and not properly displaying the motorcycle's registration. When the officer tried to pull Caple over, Caple sped off to the east and at one point went the wrong way on a one-way street, Ziegler said.

Around Lincoln and University avenues in Urbana, Caple allegedly hit the rear end of a vehicle, Ziegler said, then backed up and kept going.

UI and Urbana police eventually located him in the 1200 block of South Vine Street, where he had removed his shirt and sunglasses and admitted he had stolen the motorcycle.

Ziegler said Caple told the officers: "Just shoot me. I have no reason to live," then took off running near Urbana Middle School, where students were present. Police caught him quickly.

In addition to the felony possession of a stolen vehicle charge, Caple was given a number of traffic tickets including failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident, leaving the scene of an accident, driving with a revoked license, and aggravated fleeing and eluding.

Ziegler told the judge that Caple had failed to appear in court in Champaign County on 16 previous occasions for other court cases.