Beaverton PD arrest man after road rage altercation in mall parking lot

Christopher Williams
(Photo: Beaverton PD)

Yesterday evening Beaverton Police arrested a man who drove his car into someone on a bike, attempted to flee, and then aggressively confronted the rider. The altercation happened in the parking lot of Cedar Hills Crossing Mall on SW Hall Blvd.

According to a Beaverton PD statement, 22-year old Portland resident Derrik Fleming was in the mall parking lot and maneuvered his bike around a stopped car to make a left turn. When he did that, Christopher Williams, a 30-year-old resident of Beaverton, sped up from behind, came around the stopped car in the opposite lane and then slammed on his brakes right in front of Fleming.

“This action caused Fleming to crash,” reads the statement, “into the right rear of Williams’s vehicle. This crash caused Fleming to go over his handle bars and onto the asphalt of the parking lot.”

After the collision, Williams drove away and according to the Beaverton PD, Fleming “flipped him the bird as he drove off.” Fleming, the bike rider, then gave chase and the two ended up confronting each other in the parking lot. The police say Williams was acting “in an aggressive way” and that he pushed Fleming while he was still astride his bike. Williams then, “attempted several time to punch him, but did not make contact.”

Witnesses saw the whole episode unfold and were yelling for Williams to stop. Fleming sustained minor injuries. Williams was arrested for hit and run property damage and disorderly conduct and was lodged at the Washington County Jail.

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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Rol
Rol
11 years ago

Just a style note: For conciseness in the headline, you don’t need to mention both “Beaverton” and “parking lot.” They’re synonyms.

HA HA HA

middle of the road guy
middle of the road guy
11 years ago
Reply to  Rol

I make the same association with fixie riders and unlawful.

Scott
Scott
11 years ago

You also seem to assume that “fixie” riders are the only ones who don’t like Beaverton.

middle of the road guy
middle of the road guy
11 years ago
Reply to  Scott

Nope, I am just pointing to the absurdity of the “beaverton” comment. It’s okay for anyone who rides to bike to mock something, but when directed at them they get their chamois in a bunch.

oliver
oliver
11 years ago

Fixie riders and chamois? Denim is uncomfortable enough to ride in, skin tight denim with padded shorts underneath must be a real binder.

Scott
Scott
11 years ago

Defending Beaverton. Wow.

Toby
Toby
11 years ago

It’s only absurd if you have no sense of humor. Case in point ^

Beaverton = Parking lot. *snicker*

middle of the road guy
middle of the road guy
11 years ago
Reply to  Toby

Actually, I have a terrific sense of humor – which is why I found the Beaverton comment dumb.

Rol
Rol
11 years ago

So let me get this straight: You have a terrific sense of humor, which is why your comments are grim and humorless. Bike riders have their chamois in a bunch, which is why you attempt to be retaliatory. My comment is absurd, which is why you mention fixie riders (even more irrelevant than my comment, and I raised the bar pretty high). And finally my comment is dumb, which is why you so deftly address the underlying assertion that Beaverton, through intentional policies they’ll be the first to defend, devotes a high percentage of its land area to the parking of vehicles, especially in high-visibility places (thereby increasing the general perception thereof), and this includes:
– actual parking lots
– all the various car dealerships
– some fraction of the land devoted to streets (for on-street parking)
– some fraction, say 1/12, of the land devoted to freeways, which for about 2 hrs/day or 1/12 of the day are full of vehicles either stopped or moving slowly enough to be considered parked for the purposes of humor.

Oh wait, my mistake; you didn’t address any of that, because it’s dumb. OK GOT IT.

TonyT
tonyt
11 years ago

Weird that all of the riders I saw aggressively railing stop signs today were all yellow jacketed out with yellow panniers etc. As if visibility makes it okay.

Rol
Rol
11 years ago

So do I, so I took the liberty of cross-posting this on the article entitled “Fixie riders PD arrest man after altercation in unlawful”

Alex
Alex
11 years ago

How far Louis CK has fallen

jram
jram
11 years ago
Reply to  Alex

HAHA. My first thought when i saw his pic too.

9watts
9watts
11 years ago

I wonder a lot when biking in traffic about what it must feel like to be all cooped up in those hot little (or sometimes not so little) boxes, waiting and waiting for the line of cars ahead to start moving, while I zip past.

How unfair it all (could) seem, when the promise of the open road, the freedom, the sexiness of the car has so clearly been snatched by those on bikes. And to add insult to injury, now gas prices are climbing again, and along come these free spirits who probably have no insurance premiums, car payments, gas bills, or repair charges, and they’re able to get to their destination with such seeming effortlessness ~ catch up with me at every light!

BelgianBicyclist
BelgianBicyclist
11 years ago
Reply to  9watts

I’ve come up with a term to describe those poor, cooped-up motorists: CANNED. That would make us pedal pushers FRESH.

q`Tzal
q`Tzal
11 years ago

I suspect RIPE would be more accurate than FRESH.

q`Tzal
q`Tzal
11 years ago
Reply to  9watts

Alas there is not a “00” in front of our drivers license numbers so no matter anger, frustration and resentment no driver has a “licence to kill”.

Just as lack of visual acuity or other medical conditions commonly disqualify a perhon from legally driving so too should the mental condition of a person who is “incapable” of holding their temper and acting civilly when driving.
This would have affected me in my nefarious youth so I can say with some authority that 16 years old is not enough of a standard for “good driver”.

Tad Lang
Tad Lang
11 years ago

I think about this often, 9watts. I feel sorry a bit for drivers, but not when I remember the injustices we endure every day and night out there. I do try to be sensitive when possible though. This is (in part) why I obey stop signs and use signals etc. Extending an olive branch by trying not to fly around totally scott free.

middle of the road guy
middle of the road guy
11 years ago
Reply to  Tad Lang

Jesus has nothing on you. I feel for your persecution.

Scott
Scott
11 years ago

Who’s Jesus?

Mike
Mike
11 years ago
Reply to  Scott

He’s the O.Z. (Original Zombie)!

q`Tzal
q`Tzal
11 years ago
Reply to  Mike

SWEET ZOMBIE JESUS!

John Lascurettes
11 years ago

I’m not sure I understand the fist maneuver by Fleming as described.

He passed a car stopped arbitrarily in a lane, as in a “standing” car? Or was the car stopped at a stop sign and he went around it? Just trying to understand why Williams could have any beef whatsoever with the cyclist.

Adams Carroll (News Intern)

The way it reads to me is that the car Fleming went around was occupied but apparently not moving fast enough for him. I bet Williams was peeved because Fleming made the maneuver and Williams felt it was lawless and worthy of anger.

BURR
BURR
11 years ago

yup, everyone behind the wheel is a traffic cop when cyclists are involved.

*rolleyes*

meh
meh
11 years ago
Reply to  BURR

Yup and everyone on a bicycle is a law breaker.

You paint all drivers with a broad brush and then wonder why drivers paint us with just as broad a brush.

How about judging the individual involved as just that an individual?

It works wonders when you don’t look at every driver as an evil incarnate out to kill you.

q`Tzal
q`Tzal
11 years ago
Reply to  meh

No, just vacant zombies incarnate that are still just as deadly.

middle of the road guy
middle of the road guy
11 years ago
Reply to  meh

Equality often means making sacrifices, and that is something many people do not want to do. Cyclists or drivers, we all feel like an entitled bunch who the ‘others’ should accommodate.

Scott
Scott
11 years ago

I’m a messenger. I get to hate cyclists and drivers and then go drink with my buddies. It rules.

middle of the road guy
middle of the road guy
11 years ago
Reply to  Scott

Let me buy you a beer some time. I’m politically independent – i do the same thing with libs and reps.

middle of what road?
middle of what road?
11 years ago

I think you meant “dems and reps”, right? Or libs and conservs? Or is this a Freudian slip that reveals you are actually not “middle of the road” as you claim to be?

Rol
Rol
11 years ago

I’m sure he just urgently wanted to get close enough to speak to Fleming out of concern for his safety! Sometimes drivers (the sole carriers of knowledge as to traffic law and How Things Are Done), will generously offer a lesson.

Actually, if not for the sudden stop, I might conclude Williams was fed up waiting for the same car Fleming was fed up waiting for. I assume the police did the police work of ruling that out. If there was nothing whatsoever to stop for right there, then yeah.

John Lascurettes
11 years ago

Jonathan Maus (Publisher/Editor)
The way it reads to me is that the car Fleming went around was occupied but apparently not moving fast enough for him. I bet Williams was peeved because Fleming made the maneuver and Williams felt it was lawless and worthy of anger.

So he passed on the right I assume since the car was turning left then (as quoted in the article). Can’t possibly see what Williams had any justifiable beef over. But I do see all kinds of people pass me on the left when the road is clear and then try to squeeze me between them and a parked car (on purpose) when traffic backs them up.

To paraphrase what I learned from one of Ray Thomas’s legal workshops: The law that allows the cars to pass you on the left (the one about sharing the lane) is the same law that allows you to pass on the right.

El Biciclero
El Biciclero
11 years ago

“So he passed on the right I assume since the car was turning left …”

That’s not what it sounded like to me, it seemed like the car was stopped and Fleming went around on the left so he could make a left turn. There isn’t really any indication of what the car driver was doing other than not moving.

My armchair guess as to what happened:
– Fleming approaches stopped car, with Williams right behind him
– Fleming and Williams both get the idea to pass the stopped car
– Williams possibly begins to pass, thinking he will go around both Fleming and the stopped car
– At the same time, Fleming begins his passing maneuver, appearing to cut off Williams, who had already started going around both vehicles.
– The inadvertent cutting-off of Williams inspired his move to aggressively pass, then cut off Fleming in a “see how YOU like it”, dose-of-your-own-medicine kind of “lesson”.
– Williams’ sudden stop may not have been intended to actually cause Fleming to crash, but that’s the risk one takes driving around in a semi-guided missile–you can’t always be sure what kind of damage you might cause being careless/reckless.

Derrik F.
Derrik F.
11 years ago

The article is misleading, I actually passed a car making a right turn into the WinCo parking lot, off of the entrance between Jenkins and Hall on Cedar Hills. The car had not finished completing the turn, and was not moving. So, while staying in the lane, I signaled, and I went around the car. While doing this Williams who was behind me, apparently also trying to attempt this maneuver, laid on his horn, I looked back to see him chirp his tires while swerving into the oncoming lane. Once he passed the turning car, and me he cut back into the lane, feet in front of me. I was, more or less wedged between the island, without having enough time to react to his actions, contact was made.

Derrik F.
Derrik F.
11 years ago
Reply to  Derrik F.

Wedged between the island (between the entrance road, and parking lot) and his vehicle, to clarify.

wsbob
wsbob
11 years ago
Reply to  Derrik F.

Your description seems to be saying you and Williams were actually on Cedar Hills Blvd, at a signaled intersection, turning from it into the main entrance road, at which point it ‘T’s with the lane nearest the mall. Landscape islands run the length of the entrance road to isolate the parking areas and prevent cut-throughs.

Traffic entering via this entrance road regularly get backed up on it, waiting for breaks in the traffic on the lane nearest the mall. Also, mid-block on the entrance road, there’s an access to the parking area directly in front of Winco that often backs traffic up before it even gets to the lane adjoining the mall.

So it is that, people backed up on the entrance lane get the idea that they might somehow save a little time by going around the people backed up in their cars, waiting to turn mid-block into Winco’s parking area.

wsbob
wsbob
11 years ago
Reply to  wsbob

correction:

“….turning from it into the main entrance road, which after running some distance, maybe 200′-300′, ‘T’s with the lane nearest the mall. …”

Derrik F.
Derrik F.
11 years ago
Reply to  wsbob

“I actually passed a car making a right turn into the WinCo parking lot, off of the entrance between Jenkins and Hall on Cedar Hills.”

The car was making a turn into the parking lot off of the entrance road. That is located on Cedar Hills, between Jenkins and Hall.

Derrik F.
Derrik F.
11 years ago
Reply to  wsbob

Sorry, the way I put it initially was misleading, I had just crossed over Cedar Hills, from the corner that that Plaid Pantry sits on, the name is escaping me, Fairview, maybe.

wsbob
wsbob
11 years ago
Reply to  Derrik F.

The cross-street is Fairfield St. Well signaled intersection. I use it frequently to cross CHB into the mall complex. As I said earlier, traffic regularly backs up on the entrance road due to people trying to turn either into the mid-block access to Winco’s parking area, and to the lane next the mall. Inching along just to get to the parking area can be very aggravating.

Once people driving finally get from the entrance road to the parking area, they then often have to inch along scouting for a place to park the car…more aggravation. It’s just not worth it to me to go over there during business hours and have to contend with the traffic backups. Evenings aren’t bad, except for holidays and weekends.

Paul in the 'couve
Paul in the 'couve
11 years ago

This occurred in a Parking Lot. Traffic rules are a bit more flexible – at least the way both cyclists and drivers behave in parking lots. Stopping and blocking the “road way” is common and going around if you can is pretty acceptable.

Aggressively cutting people off for normal parking lot tactics is way beyond acceptable.

wsbob
wsbob
11 years ago

Living in Beaverton, I know this parking lot fairly well…it’s very big with a bunch of complicated turns, entrances and exits and through travel lanes. Not enough information in the story about where in the parking lot the tempestuous exchange took place that would allow a very good understanding of how this happened. A look at a Google aerial might give some idea.

It could of been on the main north-south drag extending from Hall Blvd to Jenkins, or Hall between Cedar Hills Blvd and Hocken, or some place else in the parking lot. Driving through this parking lot mid-day is not for anyone with an edgy temperament. Stop and go traffic is the rule rather than the exception. Most people seem to handle it in stride though. This Christopher Williams dude might have been having a bad day before ever laying eyes on Fleming. People ride fixies out here too.

Lots of levity directed to poor ol’ Beaverton today. That’s o.k., it’s well deserved. This town does have too much surface parking area. Surface parking lots seem to have unofficial god-like status out in the Beav: ‘Pave it and you don’t have to mow it, y’know? Plus, then it’s a good place to park a car!’.

I’m glad Derrik Fleming didn’t get banged up too bad on his visit from Portland to the asphalt outback of Beaverton.

Doug
Doug
11 years ago

> those hot little (or sometimes not so little) boxes

Just for the record, my “box” has A/C and so it isn’t hot at all. It also has a stereo and cup holders, and still has room for four supermodels and it can carry my bike on the back. Not bad for a “little” (i.e. sub-compact) car.

It may be a cage, but it’s a gilded cage, controlled by me, and I can get out whenever I want, and so it’s not so bad for times when I’m not on my bike.

It’s helpful to see both sides at times.

9watts
9watts
11 years ago
Reply to  Doug

“It’s helpful to see both sides at times.”

I’m trying, believe me.
But what you’re actually suggesting is that there are more than two/both sides; which I also agree with.

middle of the road guy
middle of the road guy
11 years ago
Reply to  Doug

Not to mention you get to stay dry all year round.

Cyclists hate to admit it, but there are plenty of benefits of owning a car, too.

Richard
Richard
11 years ago

Oh, the horror of actually getting WET.
“I’m melting!!!”
Yes, there are benefits to owning a car, and most cyclists I know own cars and can tell you why they own them. But riding in the rain is actually kind of fun, if you can get past a stick-up-the-rear middle-of-the-roadish attitude about life.

Scott
Scott
11 years ago
Reply to  Richard

I love my car. I also love super models. However, I am not one who thinks the two will ever meet. Also Tom Brady probably can’t even spell sub-compact so I think your fantasy should also include hood mounted laser cannons and a hamburger producing gear shift. C’mon man, go for the gold when in make believe land.

middle of the road guy
middle of the road guy
11 years ago
Reply to  Richard

I’m being objective – you’re being childish. Now if you become immature around people who hold a different opinion than yours, it says more about you.

El Biciclero
El Biciclero
11 years ago

Expensive benefits–and not just to the actual owner of a car.

What drivers pay for in cash, cyclists pay for in what the soft would call “discomfort”, including getting wet sometimes.

While drivers foist trouble on the rest of the world (noise, destruction, death, pollution, increased health care costs, etc.), cyclists foist the occasional 15-second delay on drivers.

You might call me a “cyclist”, and I own three cars (two that run, one that just takes up space in the garage). Sure there are advantages to owning a car, but when I am driving around spewing noise and pollution and contributing my share of death to the world, I am well aware of what I am doing, and I attempt to do it as little as possible.

oskarbaanks
oskarbaanks
11 years ago
Reply to  El Biciclero

E.B.,you have pointed out very reasonable thoughts, but to counter the idea of delaying autos, multi-modal options facilitate a rapid movement of autos by taking up less space on the road, as I am sure you understand.

El Biciclero
El Biciclero
11 years ago
Reply to  oskarbaanks

Oh, yeah. I’m not even counting the time motorists save by not being backed up behind x number of other cars that aren’t there because their potential drivers rode bikes or took transit instead. I was just highlighting what drivers tend to see: cyclist is in front of me making me go 15 instead of 30 for three blocks. My point was to show that even the “negatives” cyclists cause are literally nothing when placed in contrast to the negative “externalities” of personal motor transport.

middle of the road guy
middle of the road guy
11 years ago
Reply to  El Biciclero

If you wish to be technical, those are called economic externalities.

Learned that in grad school, where I studied transportation policy and land use planning. Got to apply that knowledge when I worked at the EPA, in the Policy Office for Climate Change.

El Biciclero
El Biciclero
11 years ago

Is giving someone an asthma attack from diesel exhaust an “economic” externality, or is it just not considered an “externality” of any sort?

spare_wheel
spare_wheel
11 years ago

come to think of it an suv would come in handy when faced with herd of zombies.

Paul Johnson
Paul Johnson
11 years ago

Also, call your mom, it won’t happen again: Beaverton Police actually showed competency at their core purpose!

John Lascurettes
11 years ago
Reply to  Paul Johnson

Too many witnesses. 😉

SB
SB
11 years ago

Tad Lang
the injustices we endure

Seriously? I find no injustice when I ride my bike.

q`Tzal
q`Tzal
11 years ago

Kill! Kill!
Hate! Hate!
Murder! Murder! Mutilate!
GO PORTLAND!!!

toddistic
toddistic
11 years ago

kudos to Beaverton PD for doing the right thing!

Scott
Scott
11 years ago
Reply to  toddistic

It was a rainy day so they were probs hard pressed to find any kids with skateboards.

billdsd
billdsd
11 years ago
Reply to  toddistic

He should have been charged with 163.160 Assault in the fourth degree, which includes “With criminal negligence causes physical injury to another by means of a deadly weapon.”

GlowBoy
GlowBoy
11 years ago

Any description of the car Williams was driving? I ride in Beaverton a lot, and wouldn’t mind knowing what to watch out for. (In other words, no I don’t assume he’s learned his lesson).

Derrik F.
Derrik F.
11 years ago
Reply to  GlowBoy

Gold Honda Accord LX licence 725CXM

Scott
Scott
11 years ago
Reply to  Derrik F.

Hell yeah Spike Lee’ing it!!

GlowBoy
GlowBoy
11 years ago
Reply to  Derrik F.

Thanks for posting this … and confirming my hunch!

Last year I was accosted by a guy in a light-colored Accord for taking the lane and not being off to the right side at a red light in Beaverton (s’bound Watson at Farmington). I didn’t get a great look at the guy, but IIRC he looked quite a bit like Williams. If my guy was your guy, then he’s definitely got some anger problems WRT cyclists.

Chris
Chris
11 years ago

A little human compassion on both ‘sides’ would go along way here. Families are just following what the MSM tells them to do…buy a car, work hard, buy a house. That dream is failing and leading to alot of free floating anger. Despite honest hard wrok, it’s not working out. Right and wrong certainly exist, but if you understand, then the concept of ‘blame’ evaporates.

Be the ones that the world aches for.

Scott
Scott
11 years ago

It is also amazing that he attempted to make contact with a punch several times but failed. I bet he gets frustrated A LOT.

middle of the road guy
middle of the road guy
11 years ago
Reply to  Scott

I wouldn’t expect every cyclist to be Mike Tyson, either.

Scott
Scott
11 years ago

Neither would I, but I will still poke fun at anyone who can’t connect a punch.

middle of the road guy
middle of the road guy
11 years ago
Reply to  Scott

At least one……

J-R
J-R
11 years ago

Why no charge of assault? He threw punches.

Chris I
Chris I
11 years ago
Reply to  J-R

Attempted assault?

oskarbaanks
oskarbaanks
11 years ago

How many cyclist’s would be willing to challenge Mr. Williams to a round or two with gloves on in the ring? I would give it a go.

scaryseth
scaryseth
11 years ago

Wow. That dude has some serious issues.

Paul Souders
11 years ago
Reply to  scaryseth

His bike was probably in the shop.

Kristen
Kristen
11 years ago

So– Derrick signaled and was passing a car that was turning right but unable to complete the right turn and was stopped. Williams, behind Derrick, was attempting the same move but maybe didn’t see Derrick signaling prior to attempting the pass and so thought Derrick was cutting him off.

Disproportionate response occurs, Derrick impacts the car, Williams drives away, Derrick flips him off and gives chase. More disproportionate response from Williams, who then tries to start a fight; I’m guessing none of the punches land because a) Derrick is evading and/or b) Williams doesn’t know how to throw a punch. To the witnesses, it looks like the guy with the car is attempting to beat up the guy with the bike.

I’m glad the Beaverton police arrested Williams, and hope his insurance pays for Derrick’s injuries or damaged stuff.

wsbob
wsbob
11 years ago
Reply to  Kristen

This bikeportland story reports: “…Williams was arrested for hit and run property damage and disorderly conduct and was lodged at the Washington County Jail.”

A little break from driving might do Mr Williams some good…give him some time to consider whether its really worth it to let the stress get to him. A brief web search didn’t show that Williams could officially lose his driving privilege for his actions in this collision, but the possibility exists for fairly long jail time and fines. Basically, up to one to five years in jail or prison, and up to $6250-$125,000 in fines.

Here’s a link to a Portland area law firms’ informational page on ‘Hit and Run’:

http://www.myoregondefenselawyer.com/criminal-charges/hit-and-run/

From Billdsd, interesting suggestion which raises a question, here: http://bikeportland.org/2012/04/05/beaverton-pd-arrest-man-after-road-rage-altercation-in-mall-parking-lot-69942#comment-2735448

Except that Williams with his car apparently didn’t actually seek to strike Fleming on his bike, so that charge probably wouldn’t fit. Stress and personal issues may be the big factor having led Williams to react the way he did. If it can be figured out what’s going on with him, and steps put in place to take care of whatever problem that might be, this would be an accomplishment.

meh
meh
11 years ago

How about covering this story.

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/upshot/cyclist-accident-makes-waves-181534779.html

A hit and run cyclist who killed a pedestrian.

Does that mean every cyclist is a killer on two wheels?

Nope just that this particular cyclist was an idiot, just like the driver in this blog is an idiot.

Neither is representative of both groups as a whole.

oskarbaanks
oskarbaanks
11 years ago
Reply to  meh

O.k.,.. The point you make is valid, and think people will see what you are constantly trying to provoke, the rub in this case is that the action by the alleged aggressor was premeditated. In so much from what I read here, Mr Williams brake checked the Mr.Fleming. That was not an accident, and therefore makes his escape a crime. Case studies show that people who accidentally cause horrible damage or harm to others do flee the scene often in some kind of shock, or fear. That is totally different and IMO and voids your argument. YES IT IS TRUE, cyclists are mortal and are guilty at times. We get it. This time is not one it seems.

meh
meh
11 years ago
Reply to  oskarbaanks

Try to provoke what? An open and honest conversation?

The bias presented by many here needs to be called out as much as the bias presented in other media in Portland.

To often the view that all drivers is evil pervades the comments section.

And there’s no such thing as an accident, the cyclist in question made a conscious decision to run a red light. He made a conscious decision to travel at speeds beyond his ability to control that speed. And those decisions resulted in the death of another human being.

middle of what road?
middle of what road?
11 years ago

Didn’t you say you had a “terrific sense of humor?” You might want to reassess that conclusion.

middle of what road?
middle of what road?
11 years ago

ugh, reply fail.

esther c
esther c
11 years ago

Car insurance probably won’t pay for any injuries because it was an assault, an intentional action, not an accident, if I’m not mistaken.