NYC Range Rover Runs Over Sportsbike In Shocking Road Rage Video
A sportsbike ride in New York City on Sunday turned from bad to horrible in under 10 minutes. A confrontation occurred between a motorcyclist and a 33-year old Range Rover driver accompanied by his wife and child. Things may have started when the driver, following too closely, bumped the rear fender of a motorcycle causing the group of about 30 riders to slow to a stop.
At this point, Police say the bumped rider got off his bike and slashed the tires of the SUV, however according to the time frame, that seems unlikely, but who knows. Less than 10 seconds later, the driver is seen running over 3 motorcycles and possibly a rider as he flees the scene.
Video recorded by one of the riders shows the group hesitating, then we see the riders follow the SUV.
As the driver slows to a stop, one of the motorcyclists gets off his bike and runs over to the Range Rover in an attempt to open the driver's door but the driver flees again.
Finally, the SUV comes to a stop as it and the riders exit off Manhattan's West Side Highway. Then, a biker, driven to road rage, is seen running over to the stopped SUV and smashing the windows of the vehicle with his helmet. A second biker joins in before the video is stopped.
Asphalt and Rubber posted that the driver was dragged out of his car and beaten in the street, and cut with a knife on his face.
ABC News, reported: "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."
Police are investigating and no arrests have been made.
New York City is already as un-motorcycle friendly as you can get. This just makes it worse for everyone. I can see why the motorcyclists went nuts. Watching and hearing the crushing sounds of the Range Rover destroying the motorcycle is devastating. Seeing one of your buddies run over is infurriating but what ensued is tragic for everyone involved.
The riders should have ridden up to the SUV to record the license plate and let the police handle it from there. Damit.
Range Rover vs Motorcycles NYC
Range Rover vs Motorcycles NYC
Range Rover vs Motorcycles NYC
UPDATE: Tuesday, Oct 1, 2013 - Motorcycle rider, Jeremiah Meises was allegedly run over by Range Rover driver, Alexian Lien, during the dramatic confrontation. The injured biker was in surgery Monday night, to repair a crushed spine. His family and doctors fear he might be left a paraplegic.
One motorcycle rider was arrested, another turned himself in. Police are looking for a third suspect.
Range Rover vs Motorcycles NYC
Range Rover vs Motorcycles
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129 months ago
@Marina @Alex I agree this is a terrible story, but I think the blame lies squarely with the bikers, they created the situation and behaved poorly, to say the least. It's bad news for all motorcyclists, thousands of people have seen the video and it may even change the way some people react to motorcycles on the road. The video reinforces bad stereotypes, i.e. that motorbike riders are thugs, irresponsible and a menace on the roads, and based on what is shown in the video, it is hard to disagree with that assessment. I cant confirm, but I've read that the same group of bikers is responsible for a number of similar incidents in the area. As a serious motorbike rider with a lot of km under my belt I think it is sad to see the bad behavior of a small group of riders effect the image of the motorcycling community as a whole.
129 months ago
@agent3012 @Jordan @Alex @bttdiaz This story is developing from bad to tragic. The video has gone viral and every news source in the US has picked it up; blame is squarely placed on the bikers. The wife of the motorcyclist who was run over said he may never walk again. Edwin Mieses, 32, a father of two and an audio engineer, is in critical condition at St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital in New York following the events on Sunday. http://esr.cc/171KMvi
129 months ago
@Alex @Marina Although poor judgment was clearly demonstrated by all parties, as far as I can tell it was the irresponsible and dangerous riding, and the extremely poor judgment demonstrated by these motorcyclists that created the situation in the first place. What were they thinking? It is easy to see why the driver, with his wife and baby on board, felt threatened, I'm sure I'd feel the same way. It is situations like this that paint all motorbike riders in a negative light. The same can be said for people who race on the street or ride their bikes with loud pipes through residential neighbourhoods, their poor judgment will eventually effect my rights as a motorbike rider and that just isn't cool. This is just bad for motorcycling as a whole and I hope the authorities deal with these riders appropriately.
129 months ago
This is very disappointing, on both ends of the party. First of all, who in their right minds would drive over motorcycles AND PEOPLE. I could understand the frustration and anger coming from the riders, but to react in such a way just puts a bad image on ALL RIDERS! And to stop traffic on a highway is inappropriate behavior, just because there's an issue on the road doesn't mean you have to be bad ass and stop traffic because your with 20+ people, it's 2013 and people are still acting barbaric...... I don't agree with the Range Rover driver or the motorcycle riders, I think they all should get charged accordingly, regardless who is at fault, because clearly neither of them showed any type of mercy...
129 months ago
@Alex In most US states, intentional "brake checks" are considered improper operation of a vehicle, and can result in the lead driver being responsible for any accidents. The charge is notoriously hard to prove (unless you happen to have video that's gone viral). Looking at the NYC motorcycle laws, the rider always has the potential to be charged for illegal lane splitting, lane sharing, unsafe lane change, impeding traffic, failure to leave sufficient space, and general improper motorcycle operation.
129 months ago
I have to say, faults on both sides. The range rover clearly was at fault for hitting the rider in the first place, and should be charged as such. The riders however had no reason or cause to react the way they did. They've only succeeded in making motorcycle riders even more synonymous with hooligans and criminals in the mind of the general public. Expect to see "no more than four motorcyclist riding together" laws being proposed at some point
129 months ago
@JamesL @Alex @Marina I am a bit dissappointed in this post being promoted as "official" by the EatSleepRide Facebook page. Everyone, including the SUV driver, made poor decisions here, but I really don't feel comfortable with ESR's commentary on the incident. The wording towards the end of the post seems to imply that the riders who created this encounter were justified in violent behavior. " I can see why the motorcyclists went nuts," is not even approaching acceptable behavior. The post skips over unsafe and aggressive behavior by the entire riding group, especially those of the rider in white shirt and black vest. As the video begins, it's clear that many riders are entirely too close to each other, but also are crowding the SUV and the van on both sides. At 12 seconds in, you can see the SUV start to try to maneuver around bikes coming into the middle lane on both sides, including the rider that caused the accident. He rolls inside the middle lane, right next to the driver's window, and clearly is looking straight at the driver. Even if the rider didn't shout anything at the driver (which some reports state otherwise) it's clear the rider is being very aggressive, even threatening towards the driver. At 24 seconds in, the rider pulls in front of the SUV, looks back at the SUV, and pulls a sudden brake check. Doing so is dangerous for both the rider and the driver, and I am not sure what the rider was hopping to accomplish other than aggressively trying to block the SUV. It's not a surprise, then, when the SUV taps the wheel of the rider's bike. It wasn't a serious accident by any means, because you can see the rider rolling forward just afterwards as he starts hitting his horn. That's when everyone stops, and you can see the rider having stopped, gotten off his bike, and at the door of the SUV. At 45 seconds in, you can see lots of movement from the rider, as it looks like he's either trying to punch at the glass or pull the door open. At that point, surrounded by riders that have been progressively riding aggressively around you, that have tried to break check you, and are now (according to reports) threatening you, I can at least understand on some level the driver's panic. You'll also notice that the van also got trapped, but was a bit more successful at getting out without hitting anyone. Everyone here, including the riders and the SUV driver made bad decisions. But let's be honest here, and admit that the riders created a bad start to the encounter, and then other riders ended it even worse when they violently attacked the driver. No winners, only losers here.