Biker gang chases, assaults SUV driver
NEW YORK — An unauthorized motorcycle rally featuring hundreds of bikers parading through the streets took a bloody turn when a large group of riders surrounded a man driving with his family, then chased his SUV for miles after he plowed through a blockade of bikes and beat him.
One biker suffered broken legs and apparent spinal injuries when the SUV ran over him and may be paralyzed, police said. A second biker suffered a leg injury. The driver, who was traveling with his wife and toddler, needed stitches to his face at a hospital.
The assault on the man began Sunday on Manhattan’s West Side Highway and was partially captured on a helmet-mounted video camera worn by one of the bikers.
A portion of the video, posted on the Internet, shows a large group of bikers swarming around the Range Rover as it heads north on the highway. One of the bikers moves into the SUV’s lane and rides briefly alongside it, peering in through the driver’sside window. It’s unclear from the video what the driver might have done to anger the motorcyclist.
The biker then cuts in front of the SUV 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 20 to 30 motorcyclists then stop on the road, blocking the SUV’s path. Some dismount and approach the vehicle. Police said some of the bikers then began damaging the Range Rover.
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 miles. When the SUV stops, one biker rips open the driver’s door, but he speeds away.
The chase ended when the SUV exited the highway and got stuck in street traffic. 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.
The wife of biker Edwin Mieses Jr., who was run over by the SUV, said that her husband was likely paralyzed. “They crushed his spine, they broke it in two different places ... ,” Dayana Meises said.
The driver of the SUV, Alexian Lien, 33, has not been charged, officials said. But Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said Tuesday they were still investigating the incident. His wife and 2-year- old child were not injured.
On Tuesday, police arrested the biker they say who was involved in the initial accident. Christopher Cruz, of Passaic, N.J., was charged with reckless endangerment, reckless driving, endangering the welfare of a child and menacing.
Kelly said the motorcyclists were participating in a periodic rally in which well over 1,000 bikers head for Times Square. This Sept. 27 photo provided by NOAA Fisheries shows an estimated 10,000 walrus hauling out on a remote barrier island in the Chukchi Sea near Point Lay, Alaska. Crowded shoulder-to-shoulder, they are prone to injuries in stampedes.