“…he jumped out of his truck and ran at me with a baseball bat.”
–Man who was attacked while riding his bike
Yesterday afternoon, while riding their bike in Northwest Portland, a man was threatened with a baseball bat and punched in the face in front of shocked onlookers by an unidentified man driving a royal-blue Hummer H2.
The victim has now posted to Craigslist in an effort to find the attacker and bring him to justice. Here’s a snip from that post:
“Your help is requested in information that helps locate/arrest/prosecute/neuter/vivisect the driver of a new/newer Hummer H2, royal blue, who assaulted a cyclist at 23rd and NW Pettygrove last night.
Yesterday afternoon (4:30ish) a cyclist was run off the street, assaulted, threatened with a softball bat and punched in the face by the driver of a brand-new royal blue Hummer H2. Police were notified by several calls from about a dozen shocked passers by. The driver took off. The truck had no plates.
If you see a new royal blue H2 with no plates and a 5’8″, balding man in his mid-late 30s driving it, that’d be him. Call it in as the driver that assaulted the cyclist at 23rd and Pettygrove last night.”
From an email I received that was forwarded to me from a friend of the victim, the man riding the bike initially passed by the Hummer as it was stopped in the parking lane. “I spit and he thought I spit on his car,” is what the victim wrote. After that, he wrote,
“…he followed me and tried to run me into parked cars… I right turned and evaded him but he caught me on 24th and tried to run me over. I went back down to 23rd where there were people and he jumped out of his truck ran at me with a baseball bat and shoved me over and punched me in the face when I got up. What a fruit loop.”
If you have information regarding this assault, please contact the Portland police at 503-823-3333. Also, tell the call-taker that the information is related to incident number PP0801211346. That will help the call-taker link your information to the original call.
UPDATE: An astute reader of the Shift email list points out that there is only one Hummer dealer in Portland (and not another one for 100 miles), Vic Alfonso Cadillac Hummer in Northeast. Perhaps they would be able to identify the owner?
Thanks for reading.
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The only confrontation I have ever been in was on 23rd just last month. It was an orange Nissan Murano. I go to school in NW and I\’ll keep my eyes open.
I have reposted a few places. Get the word out and maybe we can hold this person accountable.
Wow,, talk about road rage. Maybe the guy was having a bit of a guilt complex for owning a Hummer? Whatever the reason, what he did is so very wrong. I hope someone catches him – shouldn\’t be hard if he doesn\’t have plates (or has the temp plates stuck in his back window). I\’m glad the victim didn\’t get hurt worse.
\”The truck had no plates.\”
My first thought is that it is a new car with those impossible to read temporary plates. They\’re often mounted behind tinted glass and with their stupid small numbers, they are pointless.
Our temporary plates should be paper versions of real plates, to be mounted like a normal plate. I\’ve seen it in other states and they work a heck of a lot better than the jokes we use here.
Maybe the plate was just missing, but my money is on a temporary one that couldn\’t be seen.
All the more reason to pack heat. Exercise your right not to be a victim. Lots of convenient sizes in the most popular calibers!
Collectors West Gun show at the Expo Center this weekend. Admission is $8, less than $300 and you walk with a serviceable piece. Stop by A Place to Shoot practice often, and take the CCW class. Then show up at the Sheriff\’s office with about $50 for your 4 year concealed carry permit.
Do any of you really think the cops are going to catch this guy? And if they do, that he\’ll face any sort of justice on par with attempting to run down a cyclist?
Remember: if any of us did so much as revved an engine at a police officer in a confrontation we\’d be dead.
Assuming they catch this guy, what sort of legal strategies are available under Oregon law for prosecuting him? Can this be tried as attempted murder and/or assault with a deadly weapon? Can his brand-new hummer be confiscated? Can his license be permanently revoked?
Input from some of the legal gurus on this site would be appreciated!
How easy would it be to gather a list of all blue hummers purchased in the area within the past few months?
Robert Dobbs (#5) – it\’s not quite *that* easy – you also have to take a class on handling a weapon, taught by a certified instructor. Also, it\’s $65, not $50 – there is a $15 processing fee for the State Police to do their background check.
Frankly, while I support the 2nd Amendment, and I\’ve advocated self-defense in the past (including carrying firearms), I\’m not sure that cyclists carrying guns is a good idea. Beyond the possibilities of someone doing something stupid, accidental discharge during a bike crash, or increased attention from the police, there are possibilities for escalation. Really, we need to reduce tensions, not increase them.
My opinion, take it for whatever you think it\’s worth.
respectfully,
-matt
That\’s true, it really doesn\’t seem like it would be that hard to get the info about the hummer. Since a witness saw the attack it seems like it would be more easy to prosecute for assault.
Like many new car owners, Hummer people tend to brag about their new cars on the respective forums. I, for one, regularly checked out the forums for my new Nissan Versa a couple years ago. Perhaps a stroll over to hummerforums.com would yield some leads?
There are two sides to every story. You\’ve heard one…
Matt @8
For what its worth, I did mention the CCW class…
A well-designed modern firearm should never discharge by accident. And as far as \”doing somethings stupid\”, are you suggesting that cyclists are more stupid than any other potential firearms owner?
As for reducing tensions, maybe the cyclist could have offered the poor stressed out H2 driver a neckrub after he was done getting his face pushed in?
And increased attention from the police? That\’s a pretty chilling coming from a self-proclaimed supporter of the 2nd Amendment. I\’d think throwing down w/ the next road rager may give car-heads pause before they try to run down / murder a cyclist as a \”joke\”.
There are a couple of problems with carrying a firearm while riding: first anything worth carrying is heavy, second there is no good place to carry it that you would want it in a crash. It would be unlikely to discharge in a crash but landing on it would put you in the chiropractor’s office for months. Carrying it in your saddle bags would save your body but it isn’t quickly accessible or dry. The other drawback is –once you are competent–you should go practice at least once a month. Finally the likelihood of needing to protect yourself with a firearm while riding is very very low.
@Vance #11:
Please, tell me, what validates a driver running a cyclist off the road (and attempting to run them over), threatening them with a baseball bat, punching them, and then driving away?
As for finding this guy, I agree that it should be fairly easy.
Maybe he\’ll have a case insomuch as he was just using the car for what it was designed for; an attack vehicle. 🙂 Glad to hear the victim is alive to tell (or post on craigslist) about it.
That is true Vance… but I can hardly call a confrontation between a Hummer and a bike a fair fight. Even if the action of the biker was intentional I would hardly call a punch in the face and swinging a bat around just retribution either…. if the driver had a legal leg to stand on he shouldn’t have feared the arrival of the police to tell his side of the story, instead the hot headed coward ran.
Jeez, that was an awful response! my hands must still be numb from the ride…
Short of it is this: If you expect the police or the public to defend you from car-head psychopaths you are sorely misguided. We have no Vehicular Homicide law in this state. It is simple not a priority for the legislature or law enforcement to make car-head murderers accountable for their actions (except when those actions are directed at the police. They get to make their own rules.).
Should you find yourself in a situation where you are regularly out-classed from a safety & security standpoint, you may want to consider alternative ways to defend yourself. Aside from joining the ranks of the cagers, in this state you also have the wholly legal right to arm yourself to prevent grievous bodily harm.
There was a Hummer dealership at the Vancouver Auto Mall until fairly recently. I\’d check with them too.
Did the police draw a sketch of the attacker? Anyone with a fuse that short is a danger to everyone – he should be found quickly.
@PJ #13
There are a couple of problems with carrying a firearm while riding: first anything worth carrying is heavy
Check out Kel-Tec\’s PF-9. Very small, very safe (DAO), affordable (~$240) and quite a whallop (9mm). Smaller mouse guns would also be quite suitable for conversation-distance carhead confrontations.
second there is no good place to carry it that you would want it in a crash.
Meh. A quality shoulder holster would keep it quite accessible, dry and secure, even in a crash. Pocket holsters are also reasonably comfortable while riding. Fanny packs are an (dorky) option too. I don\’t think it would hurt you any more than the pavement if you fell.
Finally the likelihood of needing to protect yourself with a firearm while riding is very very low.
Now that is a matter of personal perception. Statistically you\’re absolutely right, but for some folks buying some security is priceless.
Sounds like an epidemic. My girlfriend and I were attacked at SE28th/Stark on Sat evening as well. Fortunately, our maniac had license plates and there were witnesses who called the PPB while the assault was taking place.
As far as charges, our guy got charged with Assault II, a felony. Hopefully the psycho in the NW23rd incident will get the same treatment. My advice is to stay in contact with any witnesses, and check the dealerships. No plates sounds like it could be a dealer rep, or a new purchase.
People like this don\’t deserve to breath the same are as decent folks.
Hummer driver says it all.
I find the talk of guns in this context to be extremely disturbing. This is a populated area. People were reported to be standing around. A struggle involving a gun could endanger completely uninvolved parties.
People have been shooting at each other since guns were invented — they have never resulted in a more polite and caring society.
I harbor no animosity towards the 2nd amendment, but to suggest that pulling a gun in situations like this would be a good thing is extremely irresponsible, imho.
Ron
How messed up.
I lived in this area during my first few months in Portland, but quickly moved to the eastside.
I couldn\’t take how scary it was having yuppie SUV drivers careening around the (what are supposed to be quiet, cycle-friendly) backstreets far too fast, yakking on their cell phones, screaming at their kids in the backseat, and generally not paying an ounce of attention to their surroundings. The area around Legacy Good Samariton is especially bad.
I wonder if anybody who witnessed the attack had the epiphany to take a photo with their own cell phone?
I never bike anywhere without having my cameraphone immediately to hand. It\’s very handy for catching licenceplates.
ps – a Hummer driver did this. Wow.
What a surprise.
I\’d like to take this opportunity to point out that, contrary to popular belief and the endless lies of the NRA, the Second Amendment to our Constitution does not guarantee any individual the right to bear arms. United States v. Miller, 307 US 174 (1939).
I\’d also like to take this opportunity to express the considered opinion that people who weild guns or who advocate weilding guns as a means of stopping or preventing violence need to have their heads checked. In comparable societies where people do not have guns, there is far less violence and specifically far fewer gun deaths than there are in the United States. So, quaint as the idea might be that guns create a civil society, mountains of facts demonstrate otherwise.
Think about it, gun-death advocates are asking you to accept the premise that there is no connection between having a gun and killing someone and not having a gun and not killing someone. And then they\’re telling you you\’re a fool and a Communist for asserting that there is one. Their logic defies reason and all the evidence. Their lies are despicable.
Robert (#8) – you\’re right, you did mention the CCW class – I missed it somehow.
Yes, it is a chilling statement – it\’s a chilling world. I\’m a realist – I take responsibility for my own defense, but I guarantee that if PPB finds out any \”significant\” cyclists are packing, there will be increased attention paid to cyclists.
There are many considerations and responsibilities to owning a firearm and carrying it on one\’s person. Our rights do not obviate or supersede them. My acknowledgment of that fact does not mean I disbelieve in those rights.
respectfully,
-matt
AO-
Canadians have a lot of guns and they are not running around shooting each other. Guns are not the problem. Americans are.
If a psycho had just run me off the road and was coming at me with a ball bat, I would do anything I could to keep him the hell away from me.
If I had a rock, throw the rock.
Sword, point and thrust said sword.
Gun, point and baseball bat no crack open my skull.
Sounds pretty damn sensible to me.
If I saw someone not using any means available to prevent such an attack, I would say that they are the ones needing their head checked.
I would never carry or advocate carrying a gun. I certainly would not want to tell others that they can not, however. What a slippery slope.
Whatever the solution to the insanity of our country is, it will not begin with yet another encroachment of our already embattled civil liberties.
I\’ll add to what Ron and AO were saying, the a-hole could be dead right now. This was not a situation that warrants death. The cyclist was threatened and assulted, which really sucks, but then the guy bailed. If the cyclist were to pull his gun out and blast him, he\’d probably still be in jail right now shivering in the corner because he killed someone. Or worse, the 10 year old girl 1/4 mile down the road could of dropped before her Mom even heard the shot.
Yeah, make me want to start packing. Unfortunately, we\’d all probably be surprised at how many people carry. Kind of scary. I\’m not anti gun, I just don\’t think they belong on the streets.
That siad, I hope they catch the guy.
Good points Toby.
Important to note that this guy had a bat, which is every bit as lethal as a gun. That is why cops carry them and heck, theirs are little teeny ones.
I am so glad this guy was not nutty enough to use it.
Important to note that some people are.
Having hindsight is great, cause it means you aren\’t dead. This incident could easily have resulted in the cyclists death. From being struck by the car or the bat, or even the guys fist.
This wasn\’t simply a fist fight. It was a Hummer, baseball bat, fist fight.
I did not type all that as a pro gun argument. I just don\’t want us to diminish the severity of what happened.
I vote for Pedro!! I wholeheartedly agree with your comments and I have had plenty of encounters with vehicles ranging from 3000lb to 10,000lb. I\’m a defensive rider and don\’t provoke them on purpose – no more flying the bird but it seems they want to kill you – bird or no bird. my advice is be prepared. if they get out of their vehicle whatever you do is self defense. i\’m getting some mace. mace in the face then a swift kick in the nuts.
I work at Good Sam and will keep an eye out for the Hummer…and I agree with Stripes (#22) – people drive like maniacs around the hospital.
The attacker had the means (baseball bat) and intent to do bodily harm to the cyclist. Enough said.
This is way beyond menacing with a car.
I pack and I\’m responsible.
I\’ll be damned if some asshole is going to get out of a car with a bat and walk away.
Do what you choose.
I\’ll defend myself.
Sounds like METH to me. Or mental illness. Or both. From working in a local ER, I can say that when people are acting this far out of the bounds of normal, rational behavior, it is often due to underlying mental illness or substance abuse. Not that this should forgive the perp, just as a potential explaination of his actions.
-Ian
I would like to voice my support of a.O (#24) and Toby (#27).
Also, if anyone has information that would be helpful for this investigation, please call the non-emergency number–503-823-3333–and tell the call-taker that the information is related to incident number PP0801211346. That will help the call-taker link your information to the original call.
I am disgusted to see that this has turned into a discussion about carrying firearms, and on top of that, using them.
You people might want to be ashamed of yourselves.
Steve, perhaps you missed this in my post: Carrying a gun is NOT a civil liberty. The Supreme Court said so as early as 1939. I even gave you the citation – you can go read the actual law.
The fact that you believe it is a civil liberty demonstrates the effectiveness of the lobbying and mass media campaigns of the big corporate interests who profit from gun sales.
I find your misunderstanding of our Constitutionally protected civil rights particularly sad given that our government routinely violates foundational civil rights – you know, real ones – like those in the Fourth and Eighth Amendments.
And Canadians do not have access to handguns the way Americans so. Again: guns = deaths. It\’s that simple. Go look at the data.
OK folks, I respect the discussion about gun rights/laws, but it would be preferred by me to keep focused on the task of finding this guy in the Hummer and getting to the bottom of this story.
Guns are like helmets.. this thread could go on forever and while that does have value, a drawn out discussion will turn other readers off and will result in less attention for the real task at hand.
thanks for keeping that in mind.
Sorry to disagree AO, as I certainly feel we have the same concerns on this issue.
My contention is that the violence in our society has nothing to do with the guns laying about.
This jerk in his Hummer illustrated that clearly. Head to a prison and examine the gunless violence.
Head to our streets and examine the gunless violence.
Look on these forums and read the gunless violence.
I won\’t be heading to any rallys to support guns on our streets.
I also won\’t be deluding myself that removing them will fix our crumbling empire.
If you need any help advocating for enforcing the already existing gun laws, I could probably get behind that. Just like I am in favor of enforcing existing traffic laws.
They could ban all handguns tomorrow and nothing would change, Heck let\’s have a national \”War on Guns\”.
I somehow think that it will go as well as our Wars on drugs and poverty and aids and abortions and people with oil and, and, and.
Guns are not the disease, they are a symptom. Sadly, one of many.
You are right Jonathon.
It seems as though even the greenest, most laziest Cop should be able to figure this one out in about 2 hours.
It is simply a matter of someone troubling themselves to search through some DMV records and make a couple calls to some dealerships.
It will be interesting to see how long it takes. I am guessing by tomorrow, Thursday at the latest, we will be seeing this whack-a-doos mug on your front page.
My fingers are crossed.
My hope would be that when the driver is found, and should he be convicted of assault, menacing, attempted murder… and what ever else that can be stuck to this (remember, presumption of innoccence applies)… before he is carted off to jail for the remainder of his natural days, he should get the pleasure of watching his Dummer be shredded in a recycling center, and the remaining scrap be melted down to make however many bikes that can be made out of it (then donated to charities).
just my $.02
#32 just sounds like good old misguided motorist entitlement to me
Ill keep in eye out for this guy as I live down the street and I am in the area everyday on my bike.
As far as the gun talk go\’s…. I have a licence to carry and own a HK 40 cal, I don\’t carry it while on the bike for a lot of reasons that where mentioned… and in the rare event that I did have to defend myself, I carry a pretty hefty U-lock in my back pocket that I am pretty handy with.
I hope the victim got contact info from at least some of the witnesses. As others have speculated, maybe it will be possible to track this character down. Imagine the suspect\’s reaction when that happens and he\’s confronted with what he\’s done. Possible ideas about how to deal with such a person: At the very minimum, if the victim\’s account of the incident is corroborated, the suspect should be compelled to undergo a thorough psychological evaluation and treatment as needed, paid for out of his personal resources.
On top of that, his license should be suspended for at least a year and reinstated pending the result of a follow-up psych eval indicating he has developed sufficient temperament to safely operate a motor vehicle in traffic. An additional condition of his permission to drive a motor vehicle in traffic might be to require that any vehicle he drive be placarded with clearly visible signs informing other drivers on the road that the driver has a record of road rage.
All of you who are upset with the lack of laws or prosecution of existing one are hippocrits. This is you community, if you want laws or other things changed, get involved and get it done. Whining is the lazy way to express yourself.
Maybe things have worked there way out already this a.m. in id\’ing this guy, but my comment would be; what the heck are all these \”witnesses\” doing just standing and staring at this f\’d up chaotic scene? Understandably if the guy has a bat in hand maybe it\’s best… but wondering if there was any attempt by anyone to help the cyclist at all. But too, being it\’s nw 23rd, can\’t imagine anyone wanting to screw up there saunter down the street or cocktail hour. So, guess I don\’t know which way to go on this, so nw 23rd snobs I\’ll let you off the hook with a warning!
Yes I\’m a bigot and not ashamed of it–what the hell do you expect out of the kind of subhuman who would drive a Hummer?
My husband and I always joke that perhaps men who drive hummers are trying to compensate for having small body parts, and you know the one I mean!!
marion, conversely, men on bikes…
i think the humvee dealership is a good lead, especially given the lack of plates. they probably aren\’t going to give customer info to random people who ask, so i hope the police are putting some time into this.
I work in NW and have seen a vehicle matching that description on St. Helen\’s Hwy.
#40, I like the shredder idea. But before they shred it, how about a charity event benefiting injured cyclists…charge $5 per person to smack the hummer with a baseball bat.
I carry a shiny, waterproof digital camera in my back pocket…
There are some maneuvers to learn that could help in this situation.
If a jerk in a Hummer is chasing you zip up to the next intersection and make a u-turn right behind a car going the opposite direction. Use the other car as a shield or go up on the sidewalk.
If someone gets out of their car just ride away from them. If that\’s not possible get off your bike and hold it up as a shield between you and your attacker. And as someone mentioned before don\’t forget that handy U-lock.
Hope this guy gets caught and that the victim recovers as quickly as possible.