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Driver in Pike bike caroler vs. car incident parks at East Precinct

SPD didn’t have a tough time finding the driver in this crazy bikers vs. car incident from Thursday night at 8th and Pike recounted in the Stranger from the Point83.com forum. Minutes after the incident, the driver parked the alleged caroling bicyclist-ramming 1993 maroon Thunderbird in front of the East Precinct, walked in and started telling another side of the story to the clerk working the desk. Here’s the account brought to light by the Stranger. Details on what we’ve learned about what happened on Pike are below.

Well, HolyJesus, didn’t expect THAT to happen tonight!

Here’s my brief account, in case you guys all got too drunk off egg nog and forgot what the hell happened:

-Riding bikes up Pike in a big wide group, taking up all lanes, singing Christmas Carols for all, so fun : )
-A testy driver wants by, tries swerving through the group (woh there mister)
-Pulls up, waiting behind us at a red light
-Drives into Rider A’s wheel, tacoing it (will leave names out for now)
-Many photos taken of driver and license plate, diver states, “You guys are crazy!” (Really?! YOU are mister)
Drives over Rider B’s foot, rider is pissed (as they should be!) and kicks the shit out of the door (awesome exertion of energy to witness)
-Driver tries to speed off, in the process Rider C’s seat is ran over, crushing it, and they somehow end up on the hood of driver’s speeding and swerving car (how the hell did you end up there, Bud?!) and up the street they go, over I-5 toward Capitol Hill while we all freak out, no longer in any sort of control over the situation


-I ride as fast as I can to catch up, meet them at the next red light
-Driver stops at red light, and the somehow-alive Rider C simply, smoothly, calmly, confidently slides off car hood, driver speeds away at the green, and Rider walks back with me down to the group who is all wondering: WTF JUST HAPPENED?!!?!? Many on their cell phones calling 9-1-1 (thanks to all who did!)

 

So, let’s, umm, NOT do that one ever again, eh?!

Highlights:
-No one is injured or dead (somehow)
-Jobies music bike spreading Christmas cheer and good energy (as always!)
-and Happy egg nog caroling with the Sugarplum Elves at Volunteer Park : )

We heard bits and pieces of this while we gathered information on Thursday night’s First Hill home invasion robbery. Here’s what we can add to the details about the incident.

The first reports came in to 911 around 7:57 PM that a car had hit a bicyclist at 8th and Pike and had left the scene of the incidents with a bike still on its hood. According to police radio, the car was registered to an address in eastern Capitol Hill. The registered owner, the records said, was a 75-year-old man. Officers were sent to the address of the owner but the search was quickly called off when the car was spotted in front of the East Precinct at 12th and Pine. We don’t know why the driver went to the precinct but a search of King County Jail records shows that the registered owner of the vehicle was not booked. We’ll follow up with SPD to find out more and update when we hear back.

According to the Point83 message board, one rider may have broken a hand in the incident. Seattle Fire’s emergency dispatched one ambulance to the scene. According to its online reporting system, SPD is investigating the incident as a motor vehicle accident but we haven’t yet confirmed if any crimes are being investigated related to the incident.

In the meantime, the reports are stirring some of the same controversies that arose in this July 2008 incident between a driver and a crowd of Critical Mass riders on East Aloha.


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etaoin shrdlu
etaoin shrdlu
13 years ago

I’d say the T-Bird probably won.

weekilter
weekilter
13 years ago

You’re trying to be funny? It didn’t work.

OFD
OFD
13 years ago

I respect bikers and am very courteous to them on the road — I’ve never had any issue with a Seattle biker.

But I’m sorry if there is a group of bikes blocking an arterial street without a police escort, you’re getting the horn. And since horns may be discharged for emergency purposes in Seattle, I would argue that I’m announcing my presence to the bikers for fear of their safety, but really I’m just annoyed that they are so arrogant and self centered that they feel the need to take over entire streets.

I’m nice to bikers, I’d interpret them taking over a street I’m trying to drive down as not returning the favor, no matter how much holiday cheer they were spreading.

My advice is to keep your future caroling in the streets to 1 lane of traffic. Compromise.

derrick
derrick
13 years ago

how is this considered reporting in any way?

i was on this bike ride. the bikes were in the process of moving into one lane when this happened. they were trying to let him pass. he got aggro and started attacking people with his car. the driver drove off not with a bicycle on his hood, but with a PERSON on his hood, he raced up the hill with a human on his hood in fear of his life.

next time do some research, you’re giving readers miles of leeway with rumor. when if you wanted to, you could easily talk to several people that were there, and present some facts.

this driver should be behind bars. he hit several people, ran over one, and had another on his hood and raced up the street with that person on his hood almost killing him. on purpose.

jc
jc
13 years ago

Pretty easy solution to your anger:
turn right (or left) then left (or right)- move yourself instead of making the world move around you. You can think of it as zen- be the water. Or just common sense and acknowledging the fact that you live in the world with other folks who might not always live within your plan.

trekgirl
trekgirl
13 years ago

Driver clearly was in the wrong – like, take away his license and don’t give it back ever wrong. Still, as a cyclist myself, I wonder: why were you taking up the full lanes to begin with? Or drinking while cycling? That’s not the best idea. The reality is that a lot of people in cars don’t like us, so maybe it’s better to be the bigger person at all times and hopefully avoid incidents like this in the first place. I know that’s not .83’s “thing,” but I’m tired of being cussed out by drivers who assume I’m an asshole because I’m on a bike.

Kevin X.
Kevin X.
13 years ago

Suspect rear-ends vehicle (1st victim), reverses and drives forward in attempts to flee, runs over foot of witness (2nd victim) taking pictures of license plate/driver. Then runs *into* a 2nd witness (3rd victim) attempting to stop driver from fleeing. 3rd victim claws onto hood to avoid being sucked under front-end. Driver speeds up Pike for three blocks while shimmying car in an attempt to throw off 2nd witness. Suspect finally comes to a stop at Boren and 3rd victim rolls off.

Name of suspect: Alexander Conley III. Instantly known by all witnesses because he was driving his company car with the name of his business plastered all over it.

First witness / 2nd victim left the scene and didn’t issue an immediate report to police.

Marvin
Marvin
13 years ago

Bikey asshole.

You
You
13 years ago

You’re really one to talk. You wrote that like a goddamn thirteen year old. You were also probably riding like an idiot.

etaoin shrdlu
etaoin shrdlu
13 years ago

Indeed, “weehitler,” my comment above is not a “joke,” but rather a capsule summary of the facts of the story.

PedXtrian
PedXtrian
13 years ago

I guess thorough journalism would have also reported on the bike rider who was rescued from hypothermia and spent the night in UW Hospital for acute alcohol o.d., and maybe on the fact that one of the cyclists opened the passenger car door shouting obscenities and that others kicked the car. I’ll bet the driver was scared shirtless and panicked. Yeah, I’ll just stop for this crazed mob and see how things can be worked out…

from http://www.point83.com discussion:
… I will point a finger at Joby here and say that opening his passenger door and screaming expletives in a rage about things was not at all helpful…

funki
funki
13 years ago

Drivers… maybe try being a little less self-absorbed and drop the entitlement. Every one of us has the same right to traverse our city via it’s roads, whether it’s by car, bus, bike, foot or whatever, so get over yourselves.

Sometimes when I try to walk, there are cars in my way. Sometimes when I drive, there are bikes in the way. Sometimes when I bike, people are in my way. But I’m not going to lose my shit over it. Ever heard of a detour?

“The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself.”

iknuf
iknuf
13 years ago

Bicyclists… maybe try being a little less self-absorbed and drop the entitlement. Every one of us has the same right to traverse our city via it’s roads, whether it’s by car, bus, bike, foot or whatever, so get over yourselves.

Sometimes when I try to walk, there are cars in my way. Sometimes when I drive, there are bikes in the way. Sometimes when I bike, people are in my way. But I’m not going to lose my shit over it. Ever heard of a detour?

“The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself.”

Oktosh
Oktosh
13 years ago

Support Team T-Bird in their effort to rid our streets of greasy, rude and dangerous bikers.

oiseau
oiseau
13 years ago

I am sorry, but I commute by bike, use it to get from point a to point b, use it for grocery shopping, and for fun, etc etc – BUT everyone in this situation broke the law.

The driver should go to jail, but the people taking up the oncoming lanes should be ticketed. The reason this driver lost his cool? He is too used to seeing cyclists not obeying traffic laws. As I like to say “The best way to advocate for cyclist rights/improvements is to follow the rules of the road.” If we all just obey the rules, then people with major anger problems have absolutely no excuse for acts of violence against people on bikes.

As I said, I believe this driver should go to jail and be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, but come on people. It’s not hard to raise your hand to signal, to wear a helmet, or to wait at a stop light. Also, yes in the city of Seattle you need to file for a permit to block all of a roadway. Just do it, then you are covered.

Also, no I do not own a car. I don’t know how to operate a car. I never have and never will, but I am tired of seeing people breaking the law on both sides of the fench. Yes, drivers have the power to kill us, but cyclists have the power to diffuse situations by being courteous.