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Vet who lost bike to chase suspect gets new ride

Posted at 6:50 PM, Mar 31, 2016
and last updated 2016-04-01 01:56:00-04

The man who fought off a suspect who tried to steal his motorcycle has a new ride.

Brandon Jenkins, who served in Afghanistan, was forced to defend himself earlier this month when a man being pursued by police pushed him off his bike.

Jenkins and the suspect, Joshua Monigold, struggled at the intersection of Southern Avenue and San Jose on March 24 when Monigold left the pickup he was driving and tried to take Jenkins' motorcycle. 

WATCH: Dangerous chase in East Valley from start to finish

Jenkins was able to fight Monigold off, though his bike was damaged when Monigold drove over it while fleeing law enforcement.

The weight of the truck did serious damage to his motorcycle, a GSX 600 he purchased after leaving the U.S. Army.

He set up a GoFundMe account to help pay for a new ride, but others had different plans.

Thursday, Jenkins was presented with a new motorcycle at Kelly's Kawasaki in Mesa.

"There was a big fear that I wasn't going to be riding for a long time and Kawasaki stepped in and they donated me this gorgeous motorcycle," Jenkins said.

He will try to find the elderly woman injured during the same pursuit where he lost his bike and donate the GoFundMe money to her. If he cannot find her, he will donate the funds to the Wounded Warrior Project and diabetes research.

Monigold was initially wanted on a felony hit-and-run charge out of Marana. He faces charges of attempted robbery, attempted theft and criminal damage, among others, in connection with the pursuit.