Alleged ‘road rage’ driver hits bicyclist
WOONSOCKET –A teenage bicyclist escaped serious injury when he got caught in the middle of a “road rage” car chase outside Burger King that led to the arrest of man from Milford.
Police said pickup truckdriver Robert Brock, 57, of 27 Courtland St., struck the 16year-old’s bicycle while Brock was chasing around the parking lot another motorist with whom he’d be in a physical altercation moments earlier.
Brock is facing charges of operating under the influence, reckless driving, leaving the scene of an accident resulting in a personal injury and refusal to submit to a chemical test in the incident, which occurred about 6:10 Friday afternoon. He’s free on bail pending a hearing in Sixth District Court on Nov 27.
The teenager was straddling the idle bicycle near the entrance to Burger King when it was struck by Brock’s Ford F-250 pickup. The rear wheel of the bicycle was badly damaged, but police say the truck did not make contact with the
rider, who was nevertheless transported to Landmark Medical Center for an evaluation.
Eyewitnesses told police the crash took place after Brock was involved in an altercation with not one man, but two, who were seen punching and kicking Brock on the ground. One of the men, described as a “skinny white male,” tore a jewelry chain off Brock’s neck and ran back to a silver Infinity sedan with it.
A heavy-set Hispaniclooking man who was also involved in the brawl returned to a Nissan Sentra and fled the area, but the driver of the Infinity stayed behind.
After Brock and the white man re-entered their vehicles, “they began to chase each other around the parking lot by doing ‘laps,’” Patrol Officer Alexander Simmons said.
While this was taking place, the bicyclist was “standing near the entrance of the Burger King drive-thru with his bicycle between his legs” and Brock “struck the rear tire...with his truck and after doing so, did not stop.”
The eyewitness told police the whole episode began when Brock was sitting in his parked truck near the entrance to the Burger King take-out queue, while the operator of the Nissan was in line, apparently waiting for an order. Suddenly, the operator of the Nissan exited the vehicle, approached Brock on foot and the two men exchanged words.
Brock got out of his vehicle and the argument grew more intense. The Nissan driver began walking back to his vehicle as the feud appeared to simmer down, but then Brock allegedly began cursing at the man and the beef heated up all over again. At that point, a third man – the operator of the Infiniti, clutching a bottle of beer – got out of a vehicle parked nearby and the two men began to assault Brock.
The identity of the other two men, or whether they knew each other, is unknown. Both fled the area before the police arrived.
Another unanswered question is what the fight was all about. The only statement Brock appears to have made to the police concerned the amount of alcohol he claims to have consumed before driving – a couple of beers.
Brock was arrested moments after the feud on Veterans Parkway, where police determined that he was over the limit to drive legally. Though he refused to submit to a breath test, police said his performance on a series of field sobriety tests, including the one-legged stand and heel-to-toe, justified the impaired driving charge.