Bikers swarm SUV, beat driver in New York

[MountainMan]

bikers swarm Range Rover SUV | driver flees running over biker | chased and beat down [Full vid] - YouTube

A man driving with his family along a New York City highway was attacked and beaten by a large group of motorcyclists who first surrounded his sport utility vehicle and stopped it on the road, then chased him for miles after he plowed through the blockade of bikes in an attempt to escape.
One biker suffered two broken legs when the SUV ran over him, police said. A second biker suffered a leg injury. The driver, who was travelling with his wife and toddler, was taken to a hospital where he required stitches to his face.

The frightening assault on the 33-year-old man began around 1:30 p.m. Sunday on the West Side Highway and was partially captured on a helmet-mounted video camera, worn by one of the riders involved in the chase.
A portion of the video posted on the Internet by an unidentified user shows a large group of bikers swarming around the Range Rover as it heads north on the highway. One of the bikers then moves into the SUV’s lane and rides briefly alongside the vehicle, peering in through the driver’s side window. It isn’t clear from the video what the driver might have done to anger the motorcyclist.

The biker then cuts in front of the Range Rover and, still staring at the driver, suddenly slows down. It isn’t captured on the video, but the motorcycle and SUV bumped, police said.

The motorcyclists, 20 to 30 in all, then come to a complete halt on the highway, block the SUV’s path. Some dismount and approach the vehicle. Police said some of the bikers then began damaging the Range Rover, which isn’t clear from the video.

The video shows the SUV suddenly accelerating, bouncing over at least one of the motorcycles and its rider as others scramble to get out of the way. The cyclists give chase, pursuing the driver for about 2.5 miles (4 kilometres). At one point, the bikers succeed in getting the SUV to stop. One ripped open the driver’s door, but he sped away.

The chase ended when the SUV exited the highway and got stuck in traffic on a city street. The video shows one biker using his helmet to smash the driver’s window. Police said the group then pulled the man from the SUV and beat him, although that part isn’t shown on the recording posted online. The police department confirmed that the video circulating online is authentic.
Police didn’t identify the driver, who was not charged. His wife and child were not injured.

On Tuesday, police arrested the biker who was involved in the initial accident. Christopher Cruz, 28, was charged with reckless endangerment, reckless driving, endangering the welfare of a child and menacing. He was not injured.
Police believe some of the bikers belong to a gang known as Hollywood Stuntz. They said the motorcyclists were part of a planned but unauthorized event in which hundreds of riders gathered outside of Manhattan, with the intent of driving into Times Square en masse.

[markharf]

Saw that video when it was first linked to a riders site. I was appalled--by the initial incident, by rapid acceleration of responses by the riders and by the driver, who did (lest we forget) run over several stationary riders and flee the scene.

I was most thoroughly appalled by the hundreds of polarized comments from riders and others. Both groups appeared to be tapping into huge storehouses of rage directed at the others: riders describing the terrible things they'd have done to that driver and his family (without apparently noticing that riders had initiated the conflict); drivers venting their scary pent-up fantasies about what they'd like to do to all motorcyclists and motorcycles.

I've only ridden through New York once on a loaded bike, enroute to ship out of JFK airport. Not a pleasant place to ride, and it doesn't look any more pleasant in a large group on sport bikes.

[docsherlock]

It is not hard to imagine how this scenario developed.

I wonder if the riders involved feel good about behaving in this way towards a man with his wife and child in the car? I wonder how the driver feels having possibly disabled two riders?

I guess all concerned are lucky that NYC has very strict concealed carry laws.....

I'm glad I live where I do - someone bumped my car a couple years ago and left a note on it to apologize and promised to come back & buff out the scratch; a few days later it had been done. Better than a fist fight any day....

[moggy 1968]

Those that are criticising the driver for running over 2 of the motorcyclist could perhaps suggest what other course of action they might have taken in the face of being completely blocked in, dragged from his car and beaten to death, after watching his wife being raped and beaten infront of him and his child mutilated and murdered because, when forced to stop by a hostile group of 30-40 individuals, bikers or not, that is exactly what I would fear was about to happen and I would do anything to get myself and my family out of that situation. If some of them were killed or injured in the process, then, well, I would feel bad about doing that to another human being, but it was of their own making.

Anyone thinking the bikers may have some kind of conscience about what happened is living in a land of delusion and has clearly never dealt with these types of individuals. Those that enjoy this kind of violence are without morals, standards or conscience.

[cycleman]

It takes all kinds of folks to make the world go around but the really bad thing about this type of event is that the Motorcycle Community loses again.

People, including legislators only remember the bad stuff.

[Tony LEE]

Thing that sets the scene is use of the word "gang" to describe the riders.

May not be universal but some make the distinction between a GANG of BIKIES and a GROUP or CLUB of BIKERS. The first are generally regarded as potentially dangerous and a menace to society while the second group are just a bunch of normal people out on a ride.

In Australia the gangs determined to be criminal have either been outlawed or some states are trying to pass laws that stick, Big problem is that groups such as Ulysses Club members - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulysses_Club - are caught up in the same prohibition against wearing club insignia and such.

[moggy 1968]

Originally Posted by cycleman

It takes all kinds of folks to make the world go around but the really bad thing about this type of event is that the Motorcycle Community loses again.

People, including legislators only remember the bad stuff.

Not a positive image projection for sure!

It takes allsorts, somesorts we could without!

[otr002]

I just love Range Rovers!! 4X4 over mountains, rivers, snow and idiots on bikes! 3 ton of metal will always win over flesh! Truly a perfect example of gang mentality.

I was amased they were wearing helmets, isn't it the right of all 'mericans to cary guns to defend yourself and not wear helmets so you can die brain dead in a hospital?

[m37charlie]

Originally Posted by otr002

I just love Range Rovers!! 4X4 over mountains, rivers, snow and idiots on bikes! 3 ton of metal will always win over flesh! Truly a perfect example of gang mentality.

I was amased they were wearing helmets, isn't it the right of all 'mericans to cary guns to defend yourself and not wear helmets so you can die brain dead in a hospital?

What is the point of your comments?
First you dump on the frightened Asian (-American?) who was driving the SUV; probably has never driven on a dirt road.
Then your comments about bikers who WERE wearing helmets and were NOT carrying guns.
I could make nasty comments about Australians; I travelled in your wonderful country for an elapsed total of 10 months/35000 km in 2010-12.
But I won't.
The whole episode is a tragedy of errors, fear and misunderstanding.

Charlie

[otr002]

Originally Posted by m37charlie

What is the point of your comments?
First you dump on the frightened Asian (-American?) who was driving the SUV; probably has never driven on a dirt road.
Then your comments about bikers who WERE wearing helmets and were NOT carrying guns.
I could make nasty comments about Australians; I travelled in your wonderful country for an elapsed total of 10 months/35000 km in 2010-12.
But I won't.
The whole episode is a tragedy of errors, fear and misunderstanding.

Charlie

Well, here we go, another 'merican that can't read and assumes everything!

I didn't dump on the driver (what ever that means), just made a point that the 4x4 could drive over anything it wanted including ignorant gangs of bikers.

And as for the comment about no helmets and guns, just pointing out that you 'mericans are just hell bent on killing yourselves by whatever means posable..

And it was not a tragedy of errors, fear and misunderstanding. It was gang mentality played out on an innocent family by violent idiots with no regard for anyone except themselves.

[moggy 1968]

It's interesting that a lot of the commentators below the original footage were advocating this as a reason for carrying weapons, so this man could defend himself, and criticising this states strict gun controls for preventing that, whilst conveniently overlooking the fact that if that were the case, the bikers may also have been carrying guns and the situation would have escalated further, probably leading to many more injuries and almost certainly deaths, probably of him and his family as well.

All those idiots saying 'yeah, if that was me I'd 've shown'em who's boss with my Smith and Weston/hipower/armalite/uzi' conveniently overlook the fact that no matter how good you are, or more likely, think you are, with a firearm in cqb when faced with that many, you will lose.

Some people clearly have difficulty understanding that real life is not, in fact, like the movies.