Bike shop’s new ramp helps thwart assault

Ramp outside River City Bicycles.
(Photo: Dave Guettler)

About a week ago, River City Bicycles built a concrete quarter-pipe in their parking lot outside their store on SE Martin Luther King Blvd just north of the Morrison Bridge. Shop owner Dave Guettler installed the ramp so employees and customers could practice tricks and have a bit of fun.

Guettler had no idea that it might help save a woman’s life.

According to Guettler, the ramp has become an instant hit with local skateboarders. “They were out there last night for several hours trying to nail a trick.” Then, around 6:00 pm (during shop hours), the skateboarders heard a woman screaming inside a car that was parked in the shop’s parking lot.

“I figure we’re up one now… We attribute the quarter pipe to saving that lady’s life.”
— Dave Guettler, River City Bicycles owner

“There was a couple fighting out in the parking lot,” recalls store manager Jesse Fairbanks, who was working and witnessed the incident. “The man pulled out something sharp and was trying to stab her.”

As the fight escalated, Guettler says the woman jumped out of the car screaming for help. When the skateboarders intervened, the man threatened them as well. At that point, Guettler reports, “One of the skaters clocked him over the head with his board.”

The skaters then held the assailant down until cops arrived. He was taken away in handcuffs.

Guettler tells he was a bit conflicted before installing the ramp. “How many people are going to get hurt on this thing?” he remembers thinking. But now he says, “I figure we’re up one now… We attribute the quarter pipe to saving that lady’s life.”

Jonathan Maus (Publisher/Editor)

Jonathan Maus (Publisher/Editor)

Founder of BikePortland (in 2005). Father of three. North Portlander. Basketball lover. Car owner and driver. If you have questions or feedback about this site or my work, feel free to contact me at @jonathan_maus on Twitter, via email at maus.jonathan@gmail.com, or phone/text at 503-706-8804. Also, if you read and appreciate this site, please become a supporter.

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Gabriel Amadeus
12 years ago

So rad! This story should be used as an excuse to build a skatepark in every parking lot!

Bjorn
Bjorn
12 years ago

Anyplace with groups of people recreating safer than abandoned places. I think one of my scariest walks in a city was the ~15 blocks in Raleigh NC from the bus station to the Amtrak station, I didn’t see a single other person the whole time and it was only around 8pm. Streets with people are safe streets.

Rick
Rick
12 years ago
Reply to  Bjorn

I hope the skateboarder who clocked this guy isn’t charged with assault. Does sound like self-defense though.

Rebecca
Rebecca
12 years ago
Reply to  Bjorn

“Anyplace with groups of people recreating are safer than abandoned places.” –

So true. The PDX Flatlanders took to practicing their BMX tricks in a church parking lot in our neighborhood that sits empty during the week and used to be notorious for drug dealing. They keep the space occupied and active, and the ladies on our neighborhood association just love them for it. “Oh, those nice boys…”

Justa
Justa
12 years ago

Last time I hung out in a skatepark overnight, we ended up having to deal with/call the cops on some stinking drunk asshole in an SUV who was trying to start fights and breaking glass everywhere before driving away.

Skid
Skid
12 years ago

More of a bank than a 1/4 pipe, but bank to fence is fun!

single track
single track
12 years ago

nice work! people are safer than no people. now don’t you dare put bumps/ bolt on deterrents on it.

Oliver
Oliver
12 years ago

That’s great. I come from a place (Coos Bay) where skateboarders are viewed as a source of crime, not a deterrent.

eljefe
eljefe
12 years ago

“We attribute the quarter pipe to saving that lady’s life.”

That makes some pretty gross assumptions about what would have happened, which is of course unknowable.
Thanks for toning down the hyperbole in the headline. I wish the Oregonian rose to that level of journalistic professionalism.

q`Tzal
q`Tzal
12 years ago
Reply to  eljefe

In general any feature that attracks witnesses to. A potential crime reduces the likelyhood that the crime will be initiated.

The dichotomy is funny::
0 people: 0 crime
Very few people: almost no crime
Few people: most crime
A lot of people: little crime
Too durn many people (in taiwanese subway after the pusher is done) : 0 crime (no room to move/breath)

Severin
12 years ago

God damn people are crazy! He was going to stab the woman?! That’s gross and sick! Glad the skaters were close by doing tricks so they could hear the woman in danger. The scariest places are definitely the ones where you don’t see a soul in sight.

April
12 years ago

Applause all around for those skateboarders! I hope the woman’s okay.

J-
J-
12 years ago

Another benefit is that places where skaters and BMXers play are often cleaned up a bit on the regular – broken glass and debris ruin tricks.

A.K.
A.K.
12 years ago

Wait, I clicked on this link under the impression that the ramps themselves stopped the assault! Boy was I disappointed, it was really those lawless skaters.

Lance P
12 years ago

I want to shake the skateboarders’ hands. This is why I love Portland. People standing up for one another instead of looking away!

charley
charley
12 years ago

Skate Power!

Tamara Rubin
12 years ago

Dave – you’re amazing! We love everything you do over at River City!

Babygorilla
Babygorilla
12 years ago

Wow, during shop hours. Wonder if the suspect / victim were shop customers or just randomly stopped in the parking lot.

K'Tesh
K'Tesh
12 years ago

Nice Job! Hopefully the people who got involved get the proper recognition for their acts.

Kevin Wagoner
12 years ago

Skateboarders rock.

Dabby
Dabby
12 years ago

This same concept helped bike polo in it’s early days, when Alberta Park still had drive by’s and gangster’s.

FOA/parks told us that our regular presence in the park helped keep the good vibe in and the bad vibe out….

And 11 years later we are still there, up to four days a week now…

Shawn
Shawn
12 years ago

Shreds to a creeps broken head