Oh, is that why half the mass disappeared around there? I was in the front half when crossing that intersection so I had no idea about this incident until I saw your post.

I know lots of people enjoy showing up at Westlake and hanging out with their buddies, but it would be nice if the ride would start sooner rather than later. What's the point of telling new people that there's a "ride at 5:30pm" when the ride doesn't actually start until 6:30pm?

Similarly, I heard some separate riders around the volunteer park area wonder why we were riding around in residential areas and avoiding traffic. I admit that it's nice to take a scenic route at times during CM, but I know some have little interest in speeding down Interlaken during CM since they can do that on their own on other days.

There was an incident on 7/25/08 during Critical Mass ride at 15th and Aloha.


3-4 bikers were blocking off a car so the rest of the riders can continue, they were telling the driver that he needs to wait couple of minutes. Driver was inpatient, and kept telling things like "I have a reservation, I have to go" There was more bikes blocking him off because of the argument, at some point the driver got very mad, and turned around going on the side walk, almost hitting some bikes. Then the bikers started getting closer to the car so he wouldnt drive in the middle of the riders, and the argument got heated. Bikers were telling him to wait, and all of a sudden the driver said something like "Fuck this" and drove into the bikers. He intentionally hit people, injuring 2 bikers, and smashing couple of bikes, and back packs. He started driving away while everyone was running away from him so they wouldnt get hit as well.



Some bikers ran after the car, while others call 911. By the time police showed up, 2 of the car windows were broken and his tires were slashed. When the driver saw the police, he started crying and saying he was just scared, but none of the bikers even touched him before he ran over people.

I heard someone saying "The tires were slashed so he couldnt drive off"

2 of the bikers got arrested for property damage, and they are booked to jail. THEY HAVE COURT TODAY STARTING AT 12.30 PM AT KING COUNTY COURT HOUSE, COURT ROOM #1. So we need people who saw what happened to contact us, because the driver is trying to pull off that he didnt do anything.



Channel 5 tried to interview us, but we refused to talk with them, and it seems like media is showing the incident like "Violent bikers attacked a car..."

Bikers who got hit by the maniac driver, and bikers who got arrested need support from the community. Please contact via e-mail ekirgoz@yahoo.com, if you were witness or if you could show any kind of support, and share ideas...

I will post updates on this case but in the mean time please remember there is a court today !!!

It's pretty much always been meet at 5:30, ride at 6. If the ride actually started at 5:30 than more than half of the riders that I know wouldn't be able to make it.

When riding on two-way streets which have three lanes per direction, why the hell can’t people stay on the right side of the street, and let cars go in the opposite direction? I mean a quick passing or something is one thing, but... yesterday I saw something I’d never seen before ... this guy was corking a car which was trying to drive the opposite direction as us (like, not at an intersection or nothing… about half way thru a block on, I think, 1st or 3rd Ave). WTF??

The Stranger and the Seattle Times are. looking for witnesses. Does anyone have any pictures? I always ride with a camera just in case shit like this happens. Can people who were there send some letters to the editor? The more the better. I'm offering cash to help with injuries, wrecked bikes and legal fees.

the nice lady w/ the corncob pipe

that is officially the best, if most inexplicable, characterization of me ever

don't fret about running into me. i am retarded and run into everything.

Braun—a 35-year-old attorney who says prior to last night, he hadn’t been on a Critical Mass ride in years—says he was moving with a crowd of cyclists on 15th and Aloha when he says he heard the driver of a white Subaru yelling at his fellow riders. “I didn’t see anyone “surrounding” the guy’s car,” Braun says.”I saw some cyclists nicely asking the guy to wait.” Then, Braun says, the driver “just floored it” into a crowd of cyclists.

As the driver pulled away, Braun—who was not part of the group talking to the driver—was caught under the vehicle, and the car rolled over his leg. “I literally got run over,” Braun says. “I was hanging on the front of [the] car. I’m glad he made a left and tried to take off down the road. If he’d turned right, I would have been crushed.”

Braun was taken to the ER, and although he miraculously avoided breaking any bones during the incident, he may have sustained internal injuries as doctors found blood in his urine.

Braun says he’s been consulting with other attorneys about filing a lawsuit against the driver. Braun says he’s also getting ready to do an interview with King 5 in the hopes of setting the record straight. “I saw the media reports this morning and I was shocked,” Braun says. “Somebody’s got to get out what really happened. This was a vehicular assault that could have killed people.”

Better coverage from the stranger SLOG:
http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/07/i_literally_got_run_over

i was just reading cnn and saw a video link there.
http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/us/2008/07/27/hahn.car.bike.showdown.king

good job kids.

The driver at this point is being treated as the victim. He pulled out onto the street and was surrounded by cyclists. … Why didn’t they let him out into the street? The onus is on the people in the group.

My letter to the editor, Seattle Times

Whatever your feelings about Critical Mass the driver involved in Friday nights incident should be charged. There is nothing that can justify running people over who pose no threat to you. Furthermore the cops are lying. It is clear from reports on the net from riders and a bystander that the driver started the whole mess. There was no need for the riders to smash the windows. Slashing the tires was a good way to prevent the driver from taking off. So why are the cops lying? I don't expect them to be perfect, they have a tough job and do what they can. What I don't expect for my tax money is for them to make false statements to the press. They can simply say they don't know until the investigation is complete. Full disclosure, I do 1 or 2 Masses a year.

The police report should be posted on line or can be requested.

ECB, fixie hater bicycle aficionado, is the news editor there now and the paper is pushing the correct order of events. Car got fucked up because car fucked people up.

Ben
Is this how you spent your summer vacation?