An Oak Bluffs man was arrested and charged with multiple infractions on Sunday after police said he led them on a high-speed motorcycle chase through several downtown residential neighborhoods.

Police said Wesley Machado Silva managed to briefly evade capture by driving his motorcycle through the backyard of a residence and later told police that someone had stolen his bike. He was charged with failure to stop for police, unlicensed operation, trespassing with a motor vehicle, speeding, failure to stop at (four) stop signs and operating to endanger.

Mr. Silva was first spotted around 3 p.m. by Oak Bluffs officer Steven Pupek, who was running radar, as he drove his 2002 Honda CBR900 motorcycle along Sea View avenue with another biker nearby. Officer Pupek stepped out of his cruiser and pointed to both drivers to have them pull over.

Police said one of the drivers, later identified as Mr. Silva, acknowledged the request by shaking his head and started to slow down, but then drove past the cruiser and turned left onto Tuckernuck avenue at a high rate of speed. Officer Pupek then activated his emergency lights and siren and gave chase, following the motorcycle as it ran through the stop signs at the intersections of Naumkeag, Pocasset and Circuit avenues.

Mr. Silva then turned onto Masonic avenue where, police said, he went into the backyard of a residence where the cruiser was unable to follow. Around the same time, Officer Jeffrey Labell, who was called for backup, was waved down by Mr. Silva in front of 19 Vineyard avenue. He matched the description of the driver who had eluded Officer Pupek. Both were wearing the same black and white leather jacket, police said.

Officer Labell told Mr. Silva he was suspected of driving the motorcycle and starting the chase, to which he replied that it couldn’t have been him because he was “in a friend’s car looking for his motorcycle.” When officers later arrested Mr. Silva and searched him for weapons, they said, they found the ignition key to the motorcycle in his pants pocket.