A strange but true bike arrest

The cyclist apparently has a rage issue, but whenever a motorist intentionally rams a cyclist or runs one off the road it’s always “no charges have been filed pending an investigation.”

i got hit, in my car, by a cyclist once back east. an older gentleman, in his 60s, he plowed into my passenger door while i was stopped at a light. i’d been stopped for a full minute, with five or six cars behind me — it’s not like i’d just screeched to a halt in front of him. he didn’t hit me hard, and there was no damage to his bike. still, police came, and a week later i got certified mail that he was suing me.

enclosed were catalog pages for bike parts that “needed to be replaced as a result of the accident,” but as a cyclist myself, i can tell you that nothing on his bike was damaged, and the parts he was suing for were not the parts on his bike. he also sued me for time lost from his “consulting business” as a result of injuries suffered, even though he rode his bike home from the scene of the accident.

my insurance company got involved. turned out the guy had a habit of doing this, and our collision was the sixth one he’d been involved in. still, my insurance company settled for something lower than the $10,000 he was suing me for rather than going to court, and my premiums went up. no wonder he continues to do it.

it was a lesson to me about how some people can make a pretty good living beating the system, and how sometimes the system turns a blind eye even when they know someone is breaking the law.

i figured it was a matter of time before karma caught up with him and he got clocked by a bus.

I really don’t think he is a messenger either by the way.
I could be wrong, but I have never met him.
Wouldn’t forget the mop if I saw it.

it should be noted that eye witness testimony is often not reliable. More implasable is that a raging biker would break his bike running into a car, rather than swing a u-lock, for example.

The facts of the case, what part of the car interacted with the bike should be more telling. If the bike ran into a car that was just waiting at a light the damage would likely be on the rear of the car. if the driver turned into the biker than the front or right side of the car would be damaged.

check out the “Agent Smith” leaning into the picutre.

i don’t know man.

his burton shirt and sideways belt doesn’t exactly scream “messenger” to me.

ha.

Last Xmas a car intentionally hit a zoobomber in the middle of the road, the cops showed up and said that they couldn’t do anything because noone was sent to the hospital.

http://bikeportland.org/2005/12/26/zoobomb-christmas-not-so-merry/
http://www.portlandmercury.com/portland/Content?oid=35809&category=22107

To protect and to serve… whom from what?

“i’m gonna venture to say that someone hired him to pose (badly) as one . . . thus creating bad press in these times of fixie cases in the news.”

Or maybe he’s exactly the kind of moron out there that gives the rest of the biking community a bad name. Jonathan, I for one would be interested to learn how it all pans out . . .

Thanks for explaining this situation, Jonathan. When I saw the photos on your flickr, I was immediately incensed, thinking it had to do with the recent court decision about fixies. Richard Masoner talked me down and pointed me at your description of what. What an odd story, and so strangely coincident to the Share The Road demo. Truly odd. Please keep us all updated. Thanks.

Cecil said:

“Or maybe he’s exactly the kind of moron out there that gives the rest of the biking community a bad name. Jonathan, I for one would be interested to learn how it all pans out . . .”

+1! If it’s proven he did indeed ram the poor lady’s car, he should be treated as any other vandal. “Solidarity” be damned, it’s inadvisable to embrace zealots and/or opportunists simply because he/she rides a bike, and no amount of “but THEY” rhetoric makes their actions acceptable.

I also must say that my beautiful track bike has a PBR headbadge made out of a sticker.
Crap!! I better go pull it off of there stat!

I’ve never seen this guy in my life. copping the style of messengers is one thing. claiming to be one as your being put in a cop car is very lame. We have an negative image problem as it is. we certainly don’t need agro hippsters adding to it.

i would say “be nice; his mother’s in the hospital,” but it’s tough to believe anything he said since he (apparently) lied to jonathan about why he rammed the gal’s car. and of course he can’t be a messenger because he has the wrong stickers.

nice call on agent smith there, revphil.

this ‘kid: is exactly why we’re getting targeted by the police here in portland. i’m sure all he saw in his head was a new bike.
Why now, “im in front of a bunch of other cyclists, they’ll all side with me if something happens this is perfect.”
these hipsters are why we messengers are getting targeted,

i have also NEVER SEEN THIS KID IN MY LIFE!

this is so rediculous, why dress and ride as us, whas next dressing as MAILMEN???? FEDEX?????

its the same f-ing thing.
also every messenger i know ( of and personally) that rides fixed, is skilled, very skilled, so look at this as it is, one of the prime examples of what REALLY going on in portland.
it goes with what i’ve been saying, if you don’t know or arn’t physically able to ride fixed, don’t comment, i’m not telling people how to f-ing HANG-GLIDE…..

-NeRf

By the way, if I am being questioned by the police, unless I have a rush job on board, the last thing I am going to tell them is that I am a messenger. It is only going to cause you more trouble.
I would like to edit my earlier comments to say that He definitly IS NOT A MESSENGER!!!
And now, due to his own ignorance, he never will be, for most messengers choose who the company they work for hires.
And he just burned the biggest bridge in town….

Portland sez he’s not a messenger.

He may have run out & bought the POS with the intention of becoming a messenger, dorks like this douche do it all the time and only last a month or two if that.

His legs, his scrawny scrawny legs with 0 definition, (you can be scrawny, but no tone??) and pasty pasty whiteness at THE END of summer?

And Gary found his priors, this douche deserves to be arrested, and the Portland mesenger association, if there is one, should verify his employment, or rather lack thereof, and release a statement.

The press would announce it, everyone likes to laugh at a douche claiming to be something he’s not for image.

Good to hear this dude isn’t really a messenger… The first thing I thought when I read this was “THAT douchebag took Sharkey’s job?!”

if you look at what is happening in activist circles it could be very possible that he was payed by someone. i mean some people spend like 2 years hanging out with people and having sex with them just to get information. nyc having cops in critical mass filming and directing the group while undercover… sketchy stuff. all in all share the road is one of the stupidest thing i have ever heard. in sf i had many cars almost run me off the road and then i see their bumper sticker… a bike/car coexist.

wow. it really does sound most likely that he was trying to make a ‘share the road’ point, and thought he’d be trixie and bash the car to show how awful they are.

my guess is he got what he deserves. the best way to show how we can share the road is to follow the rules of the road, which unfortunately most messengers seem unable or unwilling to do.

and, by the way, what’s with all this negative profiling and stereotyping about this dumb kid’s hair, shoes, headbadge, etc? get a grip!

What many folks on this post don’t realize is that there is a very fine line between hipster and messenger and it is getting hard to tell the two groups apart because many folks are part of both. Everyone and their mama has a messenger bag, a fixed gear and a little cap in this here city.
I agree that it was pretty lame of him to say that he is a messenger while being arrested, and that he might be some secret agent type, and that he probably can’t stop on his bike (like many people I have seen riding around… if you can’t skid to a stop, you need a damn break, I don’t care if it isn’t “cool”- see where the messenger/hipster mentality collides?!)
But stop this us vs. them BS. I see plenty of riders with their pasty, no-tone legs hauling ass around town. Everyone stop caring about what bike you ride and what clothes you wear. There are better ways to waste your time…

We don’t really know much. I think we’ve got a better shot at being taken seriously, and respected, in future incedents, if we can manage not to foster an “us-vs-them”. Maybe instead we can foster a little “us-all need educating”…

I’m still disturbed by this.

I was there to witness the arrest but not the incident/accident. I regret that I, too, let my emotions take over while trying to talk to the police but it still seems to me that the cyclist was handled differently than motorists are in similar situations. Unfortunately, cyclists often appear to be labeled (by law enforcement) as troublemakers and are assumed to be in the wrong while motorists just have “accidents”.

Yes, the guy is a poseur – no doubt about it- but why do we care? The point of the story is that motorists and cyclists are not treated equally.

Whatever happened, it’s just left a bad taste in my mouth.

I just uploaded a new photo I took right after the crash. Notice the Town Car. The cyclist claims it veered right and crashed into him but in the photo the car is situated in its own lane. Why would this kid make up the story? Why would he call the cops on himself?

Another thing, if the Police run your ID and you have warrants, even if it is just a failure to appear in court, you will be arrested and then held until you can go before a judge. He wasn’t treated any different than a motorist or anybody else.

SKiDmark, it’s a tincoln town car… same chassis as a crown vic, and very similar body, but not a cop car.

wtf is up with all of this conspiracy theory stuff? occams razor points squarely toward “dumb suburb kid.”

I witnessed the event as it occured and reported what I saw to anyone who asked me afterwards. I watched as the auto involved and the cyclist approached the intersection northbound. I was standing on the NE corner of Hall Boulevard and SW 5th Avenue. I noticed the cyclist wearing a baseball cap and that his handlebars were angled unusually relative to the bike’s headset. The cyclist had been proceeding in the middle of the bike lane, and as the lane started to veer slightly left to accomodate the right turn land to SW 5th, the auto seemed to crowd the bike lane slightly without entering it as it was slowing for an indicated red light. The cyclist seemed to turn slighly toward the auto, then turned away, then back again, colliding with the car, bouncing off, then slowing falling to the pavement. The auto driver came to a stop and initiated their 4-way flashers as the cyclist picked himself and the bike up and walked to the nearest treelawn.

“The cyclist seemed to turn slighly toward the auto, then turned away, then back again, colliding with the car, bouncing off, then slowing falling to the pavement.”

sounds like someone doesn’t know how to trackstand.

the kids an idiot… the cop with hair is kinda hot though.

I hope the Portland bike scene is not truly as petty, condescending and close minded as they make themselves out to be in this thread.

These comments remind me of the small redneck high school I went to. You couldn’t get an A unless you played basketball, and were ruthlessly targeted for not wearing Nikes and being some other color than white.

Nothing concrete has been reported about the situation. This kid could be someone who’s enthusiastic about cycling and doesn’t know all the tricks yet. Does he deserve to have a whole fraction of the Portland bike scene publicly berating and humiliating him because he doesn’t know how to do a track stand yet?

It’s hard for me to distinguish, with comments like these, from those who believe in the lifestyle and those who just dress like it.

I’m embarrassed at the sense of “community” but I don’t know why I expected better.

I believe Rev. Phil has a video of a Police Officer threatening him with arrest if he does not stop filming. During the WTO riots many people were tackled and arrested for taking pictures and some of that was caught on video as well. Generally the Police are only concerned about someone taking pictures when they are abusing their authority. Running someones ID to see if they have warrants is common proceedure after an accident, so I am sure those two Police Officers felt they weren’t doing anything wrong, and they weren’t.

wait, i knew i’ve seen that kid before! i was on my way to Good Dog/Bad Dog and i’ve seen him sitting at the Portland coffee shop (and the square) with the rest of the kids that are ALWAYS just sitting there.

I know this kid, he went to my school. Kind of had the rep of a douche. I started seeing him downtown earlier this summer and he talked to my friend who was riding fixie one day. A few weeks later we saw him with that bike in the pictures and he seemed to be having a hard time.

shortsleeves, a lot of the people on this thread might be pretty young. (putting on granny voice) i remember back when i was a youngster in 1992, that there were the kids who liked the pearl jam but hadn’t ever heard of the “bleach.” they were called poseurs, too (end granny voice).

and then we all grew up and the poseurs got good jobs and the people obsessed with the scene stayed stuck in the scene. in general.

the kid’ll be fine. the sort of dorky enthusiasm it takes to write port land on your fingers with sharpie is rewarded by society, although he’d better cool it with the lying.

shortSleeves: A “community” of cyclists can have varied opinions, rivalries, codes of conduct, etc. In short, we are just like society at large but with a shared passion for bikes. It does not mean that we have to excuse bad riders or give passes to people who behave badly simply because they are on two wheels.

The kid acted stupidly. He was wanted by the cops for another infraction. Both counts mar the reputation of a community seeking validation and greater acceptance. If you don’t want the disdain, then don’t act like an ass. The kid is getting what he deserves.

or darwinism will take effect and he’ll meet his end when he hits the MAX.

NeRf-
What are these grave impacts and repercussions that a cyclist who gave false information to the police in an unrelated incident and who maybe (its unadjudicated at this point) bumped into a stopped car, may cause?
“Effecting all cyclists in the end in one way or another” – I think that’s a bit of a stretch. Could this kid really cause so much trouble for the community? That’s a heck of a domino theory.
Respectfully,
pushkin

Brad –
The cyclist in question was reported only on this website. Your assumption that non-bikers or other observers will look at the incident as a way of him trying to scam money is just that, an assumption; for everyone of those there is probably another. The irony here is that the broadcasted assumptions of him trying to scam money have come directly from other cyclists on this website before any investigation and adjudication has been carried out, and not from the public at large.
Please produce the evidence that the police assume bike/car accidents are the cyclist’s fault.
The messengers who feel the heat will be those who break the law; the police will not be pulling messengers over willy-nilly just because some guy in Beaverton bumped into a car and said he was a messenger. Although I know that messengers are extremely skilled and the way they ride rarely contributes to them being in accidents (most of the time the accidents occur when they are obeying the law and the car driver does not), the scofflaw image is rightly deserved and they are breaking the letter of the law. I break the law all the time on my bike, but I don’t complain if I get a ticket when I do.
Those messengers who publicly dissed and marginalized this kid were not protecting the industry; they were using a minor incident to pile on like a bully easily offended. Why not just say “he doesn’t have the job he claims to have, thanks for the flattery, and good luck,” instead of rolling out every insult in the book. You could point to a littany of infractions and riding habits and say those reinforce a negative stereotype, but that assumes the public harbors that stereotype and holds an individual responsible for the actions of another whose only thing in common is a bike. I think the public is smarter than that.

Pull your head out of the sand, Pushkin. Remember the “funny” Jammin 95.5 incident a few weeks ago? Ever heard Lars Larson rail against cyclists who want bike lanes but don’t carry licenses or pay gas taxes like car drivers have to? Have you ever gone for a Saturday ride on NW Skyline only to get buzzed, flipped off, and called “faggot” or “asshole” multiple times just for riding on a public street?

You must live in a utopian neighborhood or only ride at Bridge Pedal because most here will testify that it is pretty dangerous out there and cyclists are not well respected by the public at large. It would also appear that you have a dislike for messengers based on the language of your post. Are your comments motivated by that rather than some need to stand up for a wayward kid?

If the kid wasn’t looking for an insurance settlement then why call the cops? It sounds like he was trying to profit from his failed trackstand and considering his previous brushes with the law it is not a stretch. What about the woman driving the car? How freaked out is she because of his incompetence or nefarious intent? She is more a victim than he is.

I agree that ALL on bikes need to be cognizant of how we present ourselves to the public. It is also necessary for the cycling community to police its own ranks and that’s all this site, NeRf, Dabby, and others have done.

Using bike lanes as right turn lanes, verbally assaulting and blaring horns at cyclists for LEGALLY using traffic lanes, complaining about tax dollars used for bike infrastructure, clogging streets with their SUVs, multiple hit-and-runs in PDX and the ‘burbs, etc.- why wouldn’t I trust the “intelligence” and benevolence of the driving masses?

man, his belt looks stupid.

It’s like screaming at a wall!

(some of the 40-somethings will get it…)

Whatever NeRf, you LOVE Pearl Jam.

uh, the pearl jam diss was my fault (a comment about “poseurs” up-thread).

i like pearl jam, too, for the record. but i’ve also heard of “bleach.” but i didn’t get the minor threat reference. shit.

Jeez, NeRf, I didn’t think I had to throw in smilies for YOU 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

NM…..hey NeRf, you guys heard from our benevolent internet friend Brett?

tacks, NeRf, SKIDmark, and others:

My point was:

we don’t know for sure what happened,

therefore,

we don’t know if he’s a messenger, poser, liar, nark, or whatever.

Please do not mistake pointing out that we have very little facts as making excuses or sticking up for him.

“Some of you must be really thin-skinned or were brought up really sheltered to think that you won’t be bagged on and made fun of when you are a neophyte at something especially when you don’t even have the passion for it to learn about it or if you claim you are something you clearly are not, like moptop boy did.”

I imagine very few people have not experienced this in their lives. Since you seem to be defending it, can you really provide reasonable proof that we as a society are happier and benefitting overall from this way of thinking?

When will we ever grow out of playground mentality? It’s getting rather boring.

And for those of you who will misunderstand, I’m not saying “be nice to everyone, no matter what.”

I suppose, in the end, the search for truth is not nearly as important as maintaining a fragile ego.

I watched a kid with the same outfit, a mini hawk, and bandana ride brakeless past my stand outside of 200 Market going all of maybe 15 mph. He had the entire block, low gearing and couldn’t stop. He tried to turn down 2nd but was going too fast and went for the sidewalk ramp which was full of people waiting to cross. It was nuts watching this kid just ride into the curb to the left and go over the bars. The people were confused and it had to hurt but of course he quickly rode off. I’ll bet not one person there understood what happened but Slick would’ve got tagged for it since it was obvious he didn’t know how to operated his bike as smoothly as his outfit. This came right after the initial ruling on brakes. It’s a good thing this douche rode off cause the cops would’ve eaten that up. Couldn’t believe my eyes then and wouldn’t have if I’d seen this turd in Beaverton. If of course I ever chose to place myself there.

He is NOT a messenger. If downtown messengers are saying he is not a messenger, then he isn’t. And he isn’t wearing a red shirt, so he doesn’t work for Transerve, either.

SKiDmark: I think we all know he’s not a messenger. Personally, I’ve never seen him around town at events or during the day when he should be working.

And what the fuck is that “Support The Troops” sticker doing in his spokes? Did he participate in a “Support The Troops” race? Heh.

“Jonny Fly”, are you the Daniel Koch from this story?

No, I didn’t even know this guy’s name was Daniel. He goes by penny or atleast when I met him thats what he said his name was, Unless that was a lie too. I’m just some short punk kid who rides a bike. I don’t him personally but I know he has stolen bikes and rips people off.

Hmm, I’m starting to wonder what/who we’re supposed to believe.

Wait, what are you talking about? Are you pictured above in the shot of the Towncar? Because it looks like you’re the same person that’s being led to the police cruiser in cuffs.

wtf? Codes dont work on here that sucks. Well here
http://www.myspace.com/68904996 thats me.

group? –
what were the lessons learned here?
did we end up with justice or what?

it is a confusing tale but it seems like we know who did it but not, exactly why? hopefully, if he needs money or help, he has gotten it. I have seen JF play naked dodge ball among other things, so, if he says so, I am inclined to believe it.