shot on a ride

[Onno]

By a pellet gun, while riding along the north shore of Oahu last week (an exotic, but ultimately not very pleasant place to ride, as it turns out). A young male, with baseball cap and reflective glasses, driving a white pickup truck, passed my wife and me as we were riding, rolled down the window and shot me. I heard the pfff of the gun and immediately was hit by the pellet, on my inner bicep (and so just missing my head and upper torso). It took me about 2 seconds to figure out what had happened, but by that time it was too late to get a licence plate number on the truck. Aloha.

Has this happened to anyone else? It still gets my blood pressure up to dangerous levels just thinking about the incident. It was just a pellet gun, but it could have caused serious damage if it had hit an ear or eye. As it was, I have a fat dark bruise on my arm.

Happy to be riding back in upstate NY, even with the rain... Onno

[Bud]

That really does suck. I'm glad that neither you or your wife was seriously hurt.

This type of story really makes me worry about humanity. . .

[catulle]

I'm really glad to know you're fine. Shooting someone with a modern pellet gun is a perfectly criminal act, and extremely dangerous. My own blood pressure's gone up several notches. Where I live, I shoot pest birds and other animals on a regular basis and I know how deadly an air gun can be. I'd really like to see the man who shot you in jail. God bless.

[BumbleBeeDave]

If it's a rural area the local police might recognize the description and the car, especially if the occupant is a local "frequent flyer." You'd be surprised how well many police officers know their local "usual suspects."

BBD

[jwprolo]

I am very, very glad you came away with your health. For that reason, I would assume that the jacka$$ was using an airsoft gun- which shoots plastic projectiles much slower than a bb/pellet gun. I see this becoming a huge problem in the future- as these things are designed to be shot at people, so many see no harm in doing so. My brother was shot at in his car, dude missed, and just dented the door. Police did not want to take the time for a report. Lets hope a whole bunch of yahoos (no offense meant to "actual" yahoos) doesn't take this as a cue for open season with airsoft.

[Bill Bove]

Same thing happened to me a few years. I didn't get the plate # either but called the local police anyway. They were great help, I think they thought I calling in a prank. I later found out that the same car did the same thing to a friends wife later that night. Good job getting the word out chief :crap:

[Kevan]

somehow... that guy will get his own.


That is so sad.

[mzagorski]

I live and train on Oahu and can't say that I've ever been shot at... but have had my fair share of confrontations with a$$holes. And more of than not it's the worst along the north shore. Problem there is that there are a few people that think they own not only the waves, but the road too. One guy expected me to ride on the bike path that meanders between the road and houses. Sure, at 25-30mph! There ARE nice people here but there are still some with the "you flew here, we grew here" attitude that ruin the Hawaii experience.

[EdK]

Sorry about your North Shore experience. North shore can be a great place to ride especially early in the morning but not in the winter when the big waves are arriving (too many surfers) There are better places to ride on Oahu for sure. Like most places on earth Hawaii has its share of clueless idiots. Most of the time it is a great place to ride. Glad you are OK.

[csm]

back when I lived there, I never had any issues with locals. I thought they were some of the friendliest people around. got my car stuck on the beach one night and they helped tow it out.

[Spinner]

that your okay, despite the stupidity of the surly local.

[Kahuna]

What a flippin' bummer to hear that. I'm assuming you were on a hard-earned vacation when this happened which only makes it worse. I've only ridden and raced on Maui and the Big Island, but like Ed and Mike says, Hawaii is generally a good place to live and ride.

One bad incident I remember was a group of locals who parked their pickup trucks 90 degrees across the road to deliberately impede the field during the Jimmy Stewart Memorial race (west side loop on Maui) one year. This happened at the base of a fast descent just before the start of a steep 23% climb where you need all the momentum you can get. Those dipsh*ts did that for no reason other than to pump their chests and start a fight. Everyone just basically ingored them and rode around them.

Another time someone thew a half full plastic water bottle at us from a moving pickup truck. It hit my friend in the back hard enough to hurt but luckily it was a glancing blow.

I'll still take riding here any day compared to the tri-state NY `burbs. Back east I've been punched, whipped by a car antenna, had all sorts of bottles and cans thrown at me, was assaulted more than once, and hit by cars. The worst was a a friend who had someone point a shotgun at him from a pickup truck (what else?). That was in Armonk, NY of all places. Bad stuff happens to cyclists everywhere.

-K

[pdxmech13]

a friend of mine (vegan)
has had a Big Mac tossed
at him on three seperate
occasions. The funny thing
is that it was going to the
same house each time for
a BBQ.

[Onno]

Thanks for the support. Bad things happen to cyclists everywhere, as Kahuna says, and I'm not really singling out Hawaii. Oahu does, though, have an awful lot of traffic compared to around here. I imagine Maui and the big island must be a lot better (fewer vehicles per mile of road), and that's where we hope to go next time. I'd love to ride up and down one of those volcanoes!

[mosca]

I was shot in the thigh by a pellet gun during last year's Marin Century. It seemed to be one of those low powered versions, so did not hurt much, just left a small red welt. I did not think much about it at the time, just some kids being stupid, I figured. Had it been a higher powered weapon or hit closer to my head I'm sure I would have felt differently.

Glad you're ok, hopefully karma will catch up to these people if the police don't.

[MartyE]

Onno,

Glad you're ok. It always surprizes me when I hear stuff like this
about Hawaii, it just doesn't fit my image of an island paradise.

It's interesting that here in Dallas Ft Worth area, in Texas alleged
home to some of the redest of rednecks I've never had any problems
while out riding. Sure we get more than our share of soccer moms in
behemoth SUVs but personally never any harrassment.

marty