Twisted road rage: cyclist beats motorist

[Mr. Pink]

Holy crap, where do you live?

[MadRocketSci]

Originally Posted by LegendRider

He's an intense, high-achieving guy, but I saw no indications that he was capable of this type of behavior.

Apparently we're all capable of this behavior...

from William's monkey dance link:

We have all seen the script many, many times. It usually begins with a hard look, followed by a verbal challenge, often, as above, “What’re you lookin at?” Both members play and once you get sucked into the script, your normal, logical brain is not in control. Your limbic system has been doing this dance since before humans even existed. It will hijack you.

To clarify, it seems it's the R-complex that's doing the hijacking...from Cosmos (the old one), "the persistence of memory":

You see, capping the brain stem is the so-called R-complex "R" for reptile.
It's the seat of aggression, ritual, territoriality and social hierarchies.
It evolved some hundreds of millions of years ago in our reptilian ancestors.
So, deep inside our brains is something rather like the brain of a crocodile.

So if you've ever felt this "i'm not backing down from this guy" feeling, then methinks you have it in you...and it's good to realize that it's in you...

[Elefantino]

There may be more here than an out-of-control cyclist.

Story here.

[William]

As I said when I posted, it was just speculation at that point. This report/posting is a 180 from the previous paper report. We'll just have to wait for an official report to have a better understanding of what happened.






William

[nicrump]

i may not be a smart man but i say the fact no one has been charged, weeks later, i'd wager the drunken story has enough truth to it.

[54ny77]

Same thing happened to me years ago up in Harlem while heading out to the GWB. They didn't like how I expressed myself, and offered their own counterpoint. No physical violence occurred, just a few very quiet stares and suggestive outcomes.

I've been mellowed ever since.

Originally Posted by Mr. Pink

Yeah, again, NYC about fifteen years ago, and I start shouting profanities at a car hassling me from behind. As they passed me, I see five dudes who weren't exactly solid citizens laughing at me. Thank the lord they considered it a joke or something. I could've been a drive by victim, pretty easily.

[Repack Rider]

This took place three blocks from where I grew up and where my mother still lives. My mother will be 94 tomorrow.

Right or wrong in traffic is an open question, since none of us was there. But right or wrong in beating a person unconscious without stopping even after resistance is gone, is an easy call.

[Scooper]

The truck driver and his passenger were both drunk (over .08 BA), the truck's mirror struck Jeffrey Smock to start the the whole thing, then the driver and his passenger got out and started throwing punches at Smock according to witnesses.

Originally Posted by Cyclelicious

According to those who were there, Smock was indeed hit by the mirror on the pickup truck. The two drunk occupants of the truck then stopped, got out of the truck, and began swinging at Smock.

Mill Valley Bicycle Road Rage Arrest

EDIT - Oops! I see Elefantino beat me to it...

[Gummee]

Originally Posted by weiwentg

seek political avenues of redress: campaign for bike infrastructure and better laws.

So how's that workin out for ya?

IME cops tend to side with the car in pretty much any car vs bicycle confrontation (as evidenced by the post above).

Add to that the lax sentences handed down by courts (if by some miracle the case DOES go to court) and you get a society that's willing and able to use their vehicle to intimidate and/or harm another person. AMHIK

I'm guessing that this wasn't the driver in the OP's first 'go round' with cyclists based on what I read. Takes someone that's been stewing on the whole 'cyclists in the road' thing to get out of a car and confront someone.

M

[pbarry]

Scooper, your updates are greatly appreciated. I lived in Marin for 5 years and commuted over Camino Alto for a few of those. Rarely did I ride on East Blithedale. Always seemed sketchey, and I imagine more so now.

Street justice is sometimes the best. No one died: Witnesses saw some blood and extrapolated that into the worst case scenario..

[bluesea]

+ alcohol and 2against1.

[LegendRider]

Latest on the "man bites dog" story:

http://www.sfgate.com/crime/article/...ad-5718977.php

[jtolive]

The comments are pretty condemning towards cyclists regardless of the motorists behavior. Total lack of the concept that driving a large moving vehicle requires a certain duty of responsibility.

[djg21]

Originally Posted by Gummee

On one hand: good! Bastard probably had it coming.

If you have to argue whether or not your mirror hit someone, it probably did.

On the other: bad. More ammo for the 'anti-cycling' crowd.

M

There is nothing good about this. It doesn't matter what the motorist did. The cyclist became the aggressor and assaulted the motorist, inflicting significant bodily injury. The cyclist should be prosecuted and put in jail, and he is lucky the motorist did not succumb to his injuries.

There is not excuse or justification.

Edit: On reading the subsequent media coverage, there may be justification if the motorist (and friend) got out out of car. This will be addressed at trial and we'll have to see what a jury does.

[Gummee]

Originally Posted by djg21

There is nothing good about this. It doesn't matter what the motorist did. The cyclist became the aggressor and assaulted the motorist, inflicting significant bodily injury. The cyclist should be prosecuted and put in jail, and he is lucky the motorist did not succumb to his injuries.

There is not excuse or justification.

Edit: On reading the subsequent media coverage, there may be justification if the motorist (and friend) got out out of car. This will be addressed at trial and we'll have to see what a jury does.

Let me get this straight: I get hit with a mirror and that's OK?

Guy gets out of his car and starts throwing punches and that's OK too?

...but I knock the guy down and make sure he's not getting up to do it again and that's NOT OK?

Did I get that right?

M