Mob of bicyclists injure motorist in Seattle
Saturday, July 26, 2008 11:15 PM PDT
By The Associated Press
Printable version
E-mail this articleSEATTLE — A mob of bicyclists riding in Seattle with the monthly Critical Mass demonstration injured a motorist after an altercation.
Seattle Police spokesman Mark Jamieson says that on Friday between 100 and 300 bicyclists were riding down a street in the Capitol Hill neighborhood, blocking traffic on both lanes, when a man and a woman in a Subaru station wagon tried to pull out of a parking spot.
But some of the bicyclists blocked them, sat on the car and began banging on the vehicle. Words were exchanged between the male driver and the bicyclists.
The driver feared being assaulted and backed up, but bumped a biker and enraged the group. In response, some of the bikers smashed the windshield and rear window. He tried to drive away but hit another bicyclist.
The car stopped a block down and the bicyclists surrounded the car. One biker punched the driver through an open window and another used a knife to slash the tires.
When the driver got out of the car a male suspect struck him with an unknown object in the back of the head. The driver was later taken to the hospital. His female companion was not injured
Jamieson says two men were arrested and police are looking for the suspect who struck the driver in the back of the head. He added police know the man's identity.
According to the Critical Mass web site, every month, bicyclists ride to promote bicycle use and assert cyclists' right to the road among many reasons.
My Humble Opinion wrote on Jul 26, 2008 3:43 PM:
" I am sick to death of these damn bicyclists. This story is almost unbelievable! I don't mind the occaisional rider, but when you get these groups of them, they are beyond obnoxious! I can't tell you how many times, especially during the Hood to Coast run that they have annually, I have almost hit them, because they ride 2 or 3 side-by-side. I always try to be very careful, but it is extremely dangerous to drivers in cars when they have to try to scoot over to the left to keep from hitting them due to them riding next to each other, and then I almost hit a car next to me or have to veer into oncoming traffic. If they feel they have so many "rights to the road", then maybe they need to start paying title and registration fees, just like you have would to operate a motor vehicle!!! "
dw wrote on Jul 26, 2008 5:03 PM:
" what a bunch of thugs. they should through all of them in the can for obstructing the road and make assaults on motorists a hate crime. "
El Fuego wrote on Jul 26, 2008 5:10 PM:
" Not smart those bicyclist. They may have just become open targets for enraged motorist. Greedy people. They want to hog the whole road until all three hundred pass your location. What if the guy was trying to get his wife to a hospital? I can solve the problem though. Bring all those bikes to longview. Park them and enter a business. When you come out, bike is gone. In it's place you will find a discarded meth wrapper, or maybe even a marijuana roach. "
mole wrote on Jul 26, 2008 5:36 PM:
" right to the road, not own it. sounds like the bicycle group,needs leather jackets,they were spoiling for trouble. "
Plato wrote on Jul 26, 2008 5:41 PM:
" Sounds to me like these people were terrorists engaged in a riot. All that can be apprehended should be tried and if found guilty should get prison time, not jail time. It's time to stop lollycodeling these spoiled children and let them know societies rules apply to all all of the time. "
Hugh wrote on Jul 26, 2008 6:45 PM:
" This quote comes from the Critical Mass website:
"CM doesn't hurt anyone, and we've never threatened you, but you can certainly show us how superior you are by threatening to hurt or kill us. While you're at it, ask someone to explain the word hypocrite to you, as well as which is the bigger crime against humanity: having a bicycle ride, or threatening to hurt someone."
Shame on Critical Mass for not only breaking the laws of the State of Washington, but failing to abide by its own proclamations.
May Critical Mass and its members lower the tenor of their rhetoric and hopefully their members will reconsider their membership in such a violent and anarchic organization. "
"CM doesn't hurt anyone, and we've never threatened you, but you can certainly show us how superior you are by threatening to hurt or kill us. While you're at it, ask someone to explain the word hypocrite to you, as well as which is the bigger crime against humanity: having a bicycle ride, or threatening to hurt someone."
Shame on Critical Mass for not only breaking the laws of the State of Washington, but failing to abide by its own proclamations.
May Critical Mass and its members lower the tenor of their rhetoric and hopefully their members will reconsider their membership in such a violent and anarchic organization. "
Gondolapete wrote on Jul 26, 2008 7:16 PM:
" Hey Hugh, I saw that same thing when I opted to click on the "Send hate mail"
option. What a bunch of thugs. "
option. What a bunch of thugs. "
rs5 wrote on Jul 26, 2008 8:17 PM:
" one of these times cm will pull this on the wrong person. ahole bunch of them will get run over when a motorist flees in fear for his life. "
Kelso Resident wrote on Jul 26, 2008 8:30 PM:
" This is why I strongly think that the law of the road should be "Ride a bike at your own risk" Meaning if you get hit by a car it's your own fault if you ride a bike. No Mercy! "
imlovinit wrote on Jul 26, 2008 8:55 PM:
" It's always the same, a few ruin it for everyone. These jerks made critical mass look like one huge bunch of a-holes & I'm sure they aren't all that way. BTW that would have been really scary & I'm glad it didn't happen to me. "
cycler wrote on Jul 26, 2008 9:16 PM:
" Hold on people . . . . .
First of all, The Hood to Coast is a running relay race.
Secondly, Critical Mass cyclists are a rouge group of cycling protesters that are common in larger cities. I dont think I would be incorrect to say that none of the cyclists that us Cowlitz County folk come into contact with on a day to day basis or during the STP are considered Critical Mass cyclists.
Dont lump all cyclists into Critical Mass basket. We cyclists DO NOT like what they do or how they do it. Their actions are deplorable. Copy and paste this http://www.cascade.org/Community/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=5&threadid=11586 and check out the comments. "
First of all, The Hood to Coast is a running relay race.
Secondly, Critical Mass cyclists are a rouge group of cycling protesters that are common in larger cities. I dont think I would be incorrect to say that none of the cyclists that us Cowlitz County folk come into contact with on a day to day basis or during the STP are considered Critical Mass cyclists.
Dont lump all cyclists into Critical Mass basket. We cyclists DO NOT like what they do or how they do it. Their actions are deplorable. Copy and paste this http://www.cascade.org/Community/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=5&threadid=11586 and check out the comments. "
My Humble Opinion wrote on Jul 26, 2008 9:30 PM:
" To Cycler: I apologize for the mix-up regarding "Hood to Coast". I know there is some huge bike ride that is held annually where they go down Highway 30 to Portland, wasn't sure of the name though. I do not mean to offend anyone by my comments, nor to lump all cyclists in that category. But I have noticed many times that an awful lot of cyclists seem to have become quite brazen on the road. I have no problem with people riding single file, and I always scoot over as much as possible to give them a safe amount of space, but it is very frustrating when there is more than one cyclist riding side-by-side, and they make no attempt to move over or ride single file for the safety of the cars on the road as well as their own safety. So, I speak only to those particular people, please, I am more than happy to share the road with you and be a courteous driver, but in return, please be a courteous cyclist. "
Cheney119 wrote on Jul 26, 2008 9:50 PM:
" Cycler, don't forget this is the Daily News blog where people are stupid and rarely know anything about what they are talking about. The criminals here in the article aren't cyclists, they are thugs. But the comments you read here are from the same stupid jerks that comment every day. Good thing they're on the computer and not out among the rest of the normal people of the world. With their attitude the behavior of critical mass participants is understandable, though unjustified. "
bored2tears53 wrote on Jul 27, 2008 7:44 AM:
" couldnt agree more Ive been following Cheney119 comments for months most of the time I lmao at them. But every now and then a grain of truth appears. "
concerned wrote on Jul 27, 2008 8:19 AM:
" I agree with alot of the comments that have been written here thus far. I think if bikes want to use the road they should have to pay title and registration fees like motorists do because truthfully isnt a bike a form of transportation as well?? They need to find the people from CM that are the offenders and try them as we would try a motorist who hits a biker. From the sounds of the article these people from CM dont care about anyone but themselves and their biking and making sure they control the roads. I also agree with Kelso resident that bikers should be told that they ride at their own risk due to bikers not following the rules of the road...ie like stopping at stop signs or using hand signals when turning. I have also seen bikers just vere out into the road in front of motorists... if a motorist did that and a cop saw them they would get tickets...we need to start ticketing bikers for all the infractions they do as well. "
JD Hogg wrote on Jul 27, 2008 12:19 PM:
" As far as I'm concerned, Critical Mass is a terrorist organization. They go out LOOKING for a fight....they have had the same problems with these people in Portland as well. I think they are hoping for it to get really out of hand to the point of people dying just so they can get the publicity. Critical Mass, GreenPeace, PITA, ELF, they are all one in the same....people who try to force their opinions on others and who can and have instigated violence to be heard. Doesnt that sound like a terrorist to you? "
Jason L Cheung wrote on Jul 27, 2008 1:52 PM:
" Cheney 119 and JD Hogg...
I've had enough. I have good friends who regularly ride with Critical Mass here in Seattle. About 4-5 times a year their ride route goes in front of the place that I work. It takes (at most) 5-6 minutes for the ride to go by. Is it an inconvenience? Probably. Illegal? must not be, or the police would be arresting them.
A little balance from a weekly paper called The Stranger here:
I Literally Got Run Over
posted by Jonah Spangenthal-Lee on July 26 at 8:42 PM
I just spoke with Tom Braun, one of the cyclists hit by an irate motorist during last nights Critical Mass ride.
Brauna 35-year-old attorney who says prior to last night, he hadnt been on a Critical Mass ride in yearssays he was moving with a crowd of cyclists on 15th and Aloha when he says he heard the driver of a white Subaru yelling at his fellow riders. I didnt see anyone surrounding the guys car, Braun says.I saw some cyclists nicely asking the guy to wait. Then, Braun says, the driver just floored it into a crowd of cyclists.
As the driver pulled away, Braunwho was not part of the group talking to the driverwas caught under the vehicle, and the car rolled over his leg. I literally got run over, Braun says.
He went to the hospital with possible internal injuries. This guy HARDLY sounds like a terrorist.
~Jason "
I've had enough. I have good friends who regularly ride with Critical Mass here in Seattle. About 4-5 times a year their ride route goes in front of the place that I work. It takes (at most) 5-6 minutes for the ride to go by. Is it an inconvenience? Probably. Illegal? must not be, or the police would be arresting them.
A little balance from a weekly paper called The Stranger here:
I Literally Got Run Over
posted by Jonah Spangenthal-Lee on July 26 at 8:42 PM
I just spoke with Tom Braun, one of the cyclists hit by an irate motorist during last nights Critical Mass ride.
Brauna 35-year-old attorney who says prior to last night, he hadnt been on a Critical Mass ride in yearssays he was moving with a crowd of cyclists on 15th and Aloha when he says he heard the driver of a white Subaru yelling at his fellow riders. I didnt see anyone surrounding the guys car, Braun says.I saw some cyclists nicely asking the guy to wait. Then, Braun says, the driver just floored it into a crowd of cyclists.
As the driver pulled away, Braunwho was not part of the group talking to the driverwas caught under the vehicle, and the car rolled over his leg. I literally got run over, Braun says.
He went to the hospital with possible internal injuries. This guy HARDLY sounds like a terrorist.
~Jason "
JD Hogg wrote on Jul 27, 2008 3:46 PM:
" Geez Jason, your post was a difficult read...what exactly have you had enough of? You have friends who participate and are not terrorists...ok, I get that...you also were not there, and you are posting based on what someone told you...if the cops consider the driver a victim and the cyclists the criminals, you have no idea what you're talking about. Maybe Braun was in the wrong place at the wrong time, but if a crowd of people were swarming YOUR vehicle and threatening your family's safety, would you hit the gas and get the hell outta there too?? "
cheney119 wrote on Jul 27, 2008 4:32 PM:
" Everytime I ride my bike, after 25,000 miles of riding, I feel like some clown motorist will kill me, simply from lack of paying attention and following the rules of the road, it may seem like a scratch of paint to your car, but it's my broken femor, or back or me in a coffin. It may seem we cyclists are a hinderance on the road, and perhaps you are correct, but we have a right to the road. It costs $42 to register a car, do you really think bike registration would change anything, I buy a fishing license for $23? Yes this story may seem like a bunch of thugs, but bikes in mass feel a power they don't have individually. I bet it feels really good. I have often felt like carrying a weapon, just of motorist alteractions. But I don't think it would help, it would just lead to situations like the one in this story, like a set of shot out tires (wouldn't that be great TDN fodder). A gun solves nothing. I just have to learn have to be more polite and patient and extremely alert (as does everyone else). I can't tell you the number of times I have been almost hit by cars in Longview, but what would you have me do? Ride on the sidewalk? I've ridden the Oregon Cost 5 times, you should try Lincoln City. "
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