Motorcyclists Pull Driver from Car in NYC, Beat Him After Collision
Video shows motorcylists smashing SUV windows with helmets before beating.
Sept. 30, 2013— -- A group of motorcyclists riding in New York City on Sunday chased and then attacked the driver of an SUV after he collided into a biker, while one biker filmed the entire confrontation, police said today.
The 33-year-old driver of a Range Rover was driving north on Manhattan's West Side Highway with his wife and 2-year-old child around 2 p.m. when he found himself surrounded by a group of motorcyclists, police said.
Video recorded by one of the bikers in the group shows the motorcycles slowing their speed as they surround the Range Rover, and the Range Rover then tapping the fender of a motorcyclist in the group. Twenty to 30 bikers then surrounded the SUV and started gesturing at him, the video shows.
The motorcyclists then began damaging the Range Rover and slashed one the tires, causing the driver to take off and flee north and then exit the highway as his tire deflated, according to Officer Christopher Pisano of the NYPD.
As he was attempting to flee, the SUV driver hit a motorcyclist before speeding off, causing the entire group of bikers to take off after him. The motorcyclist's leg was broken in the collision, police said.
During the six-minute encounter, the Range Rover driver slowed down enough at one point for a motorcyclist to get off his bike, run up to the SUV and open the driver's side door before the Range Rover fled again.
Finally, after the entire group turned off the highway and the SUV rolled to a stop, motorcyclists ran up to Range Rover and one biker, using his helmet, began smashing the windows of the vehicle, the video shows. Other bikers joined in before the video was stopped.
The bikers then assaulted the driver, according to the NYPD. The driver's wife and 2-year-old child were not harmed. The driver was taken to Columbia Medical Center, where he was treated and received stitches, police said.
The video was uploaded by the biker to Live Leak with the caption, "A black Range Rover ran over a group of bikers in New York City during an annual street ride." The information posted with the video claimed that a biker was killed when he was hit by the Range Rover, but police said that was not true.
Police are investigating witness accounts. A video of the chase and confrontation was also uploaded to the Internet. Pisano said police are "combing everything" as part of their investigation, but no arrests have been made yet.
Pisano was unsure whether the motorcyclists were officially affiliated with any group or club. Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said today that the bikers were doing an annual ride through New York City. Kelly said he did not expect the SUV driver to face any charges.
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