Hummer hits cyclist. Officer Cho sympathizes with the driver, adding "and I carry a gun in my car."
April 24th, 2009 
78 Comments
(update: more details on the incident)
Friday morning at approximately 2am in downtown LA: A black Hummer, bearing no license plates, hits a cyclist, knocking him to the ground. The Hummer then flees the scene dragging a bike it ran over underneath it, only to be pulled over one block over by LAPD. After taking reports from witnesses, Officer Cho addresses the group of about twelve cyclists, saying:
If it had been me with my family in that car, I’d have done the same thing, and I carry a gun in my car.
(Photo lightened in order to be visible. Courtesy Matt Stilline’s cellphone – you’d think a pro photojournalist could take a better photo)
The incident occured as a small group of about twelve riders turned right from Los Angeles St to 7th St. As the group turned, a Hummer which had been honking at the group hit and injured a rider, who spent the night in the ER for ankle injuries. His friends helped him to the curb, and the Hummer stopped. However, the motorist then tried to flee the scene, as cyclists tried to record the license plate number. Two cyclists quickly blocked its path as the passengers and cyclists yelled at each other.
Eventually the driver drove into the cyclists, who narrowly escaped severe injury by scattering. The Hummer ran over at least three bikes, destroying them, and smashing a cyclist in her thigh with a bike in the process. He then drove down one block, turned onto Main St., where he was pulled over by LAPD.
The occupants of the car fled on foot, and though LAPD caught the driver, several of the passengers escaped. Those passengers returned later to threaten the group of cyclists, saying that if they spoke with police, they would return “60 crips deep.”
After a large group of police officers interviewed the witnesses and the suspects they released the driver, who drove off without a ticket. Officer Cho, the officer in charge at the scene then approached the cyclists. He first told the group:
Get everyone together because I don’t want to say this twice. If anyone says anything I’m gonna walk away and I’m not going to talk to you guys. Based on the evidence right now it looks like the cyclist hit the car, not that the car hit the cyclist.
Cyclist then argued with him, pointing out that the driver of the Hummer was dislodging a bicycle from underneath his vehicle when the police pulled him over. Officer Cho then responded, saying “if it had been me with my family in that car, I’d have done the same thing, and I carry a gun in my car.”
Stay tuned for follow up.
Author Info
holy shit! how horrible… maybe its time for the ridazz to un-salute the LAPD!
It’s awesome that LA actually has groups of people on either side that give a damn.
If that type of shit happened up here in the desert, the only response would’ve been “should’ve been on the sidewalk”.
As far as 60 Crips deep, a sliver of MR forces could easily squash that kind of resistance.
Quick editing not Alex:
“Two cyclists quickly blocked it’s path as the passengers and cyclists yelled at each other.”
Should be
“Two cyclists quickly blocked its path as the passengers and cyclists yelled at each other.”
S’all.
See ya tonight.
Fixed. I can not do the it’s its thing right to save my life.
does not want!
I’m sure whoever reads this, and rides a bicycle, becomes filled with rage. The question is, what will we do about it? Will we read this once, say “that’s fu*ked up”, and go on about our lives? Or will we organize, and demand that some sort of action be taken against thee driver of the Hummer for almost killing a few people, and the officer for mishandling the situation. I myself will stay tuned in, and show up to any sort of support function that requires a good presence of riders, or sign any statement showing support. To all riders directly involved with this mess, PLEASE don’t let this opporitunity to be heard slip by, ESPECIALLY since there are SO many of us. Nuff said.
unbelievable. officer cho is such a chump
Too many stories like this have made me really angry. I ride my bike to work and dread to think about what might happen if someone hits me. If the police don’t see a car as a deadly weapon (regardless of whether a person may or may not have provoked a reaction), they are not doing their job. No ticket?!! Someone with an injury bad enough to go to the ER??! I am appalled and disappointed.
LAPD hates BIKES
The cyclist that went to the ER needs to get a lawyer and file a civil suit, at the least, against the driver, and the group needs to file a complaint against the officer, and pursue it legally if need be. This is crazy. I’m sure there are some good lawyers in LA who specialize in cyclists case that will do low cost or pro bono work. The biggest thing is that the LAPD needs some serious education, and that usually only happens through legal action against them.
Your peeps in PDX are listening!
so lame. times, they are a changing. sounds like a call to arms.
LAPD HATES BIKES
The ride is on! http://midnightridazz.com/viewStory.php?storyId=2803
PLEASE NOTE: The driver himself did not attempt to flee, but as there were initially only enough officers to take three people out of the car, it was the remaining two passengers that fled and threatened the cyclists who were walking towards the officers.
From the LAPD’s website:
To file a personnel complaint, fill out this form:
http://www.lapdonline.org/inside_the_lapd/pdf_view/5046
Yes, but LAPD officers also ride bikes, don’t they? They can’t all hate them. Somthing tells me the full story of this event hasn’t been told.
I have heard many similar stories over the years (and been involved in some as well), and it would indeed seem that our local police and our justice system regard cyclists as second-class citizens, if not outright criminals. But no higher authority is dictating otherwise, and I don’t see anyone approaching this problem beyond a case-by-case basis. The cycling community gets outraged about each incident, and we see the problem as a chronic gestalt, but that’s not going to get the message across to our elected officials, who tell the LAPD what time it is. My hope is that bloggers and those currently on the forefront of cyclist activism are collecting these stories and community feedback to build a case for city council. If properly presented, the volume of evidence is undeniable: the City of LA perpetuates anti-cyclist behavior. Surely any reasonable elected would have to agree that a change is in order.
Does anyone have the licence plate number of the driver? It might be time for some direct action against them. The authorities obviously have no intention of protecting us.
I hope this doesn’t end here, but I also think based on what I’ve witnessed that if we as cyclists followed the road rules ‘just a little bit more’, when this sort of thing happens we’d have a greater chance of seeing said officers and drivers help more accountable. Don’t misunderstand me, there is absolutely no excuse for the driver’s actions UNDER ANY circumstances!!!! He should be punished!!
Next time take the LAPD’s nefarious concept of justice and fill the hummer up with lead. Bad enough recklessly endangering lives, then he goes on to threaten your lives, or I suppose 60 crips would show up just to give you a stern talking to or perhaps a remedial bicycle safety course?
All the crooks and fascist meathead cops carry guns, and use them liberally, high time good people get armed and fight back. That’s the only language they understand – a crisp pistol whipping across the skull and a shattered knee cap.
@heres an idea – sounds like a bad idea to me. No ones looking for revolution here, just some respect for cyclists.
“That’s the only language they understand – a crisp pistol whipping across the skull and a shattered knee cap.”
Or a torched/slashed gas-guzzling, obnoxiously idiotic suburban assault tank. Someone contact environmental terrorists…they’ll know how to handle this.
@Rebel
I don’t think there were any license plates on the beast. And this is LA universal…how come so many luxury cars get away with that bullshit?
This sounds like at least hit and run to me if not assault with a deadly weapon (a car is a deadly weapon). Also, was the officer threatening the cyclist with a deadly weapon? We need to form a coalition to help each other with legal assistance and other ways to fight for our rights.
Violence is definitely not the answer…
Thanks again for documenting this incident in a report-like fashion.
If you can especially emphasize the, what I and perhaps a judge will take as, threat of gang-retaliation (‘returning 60 crips deep’ if you talk with police) it really ups the charges for what the Hummer driver or his passengers could be charged with. And, yes, that kind of threat sometimes is not idle.
I emphasize this point about retaliation is because I used to work with the LA Public Defender’s office in downtown in a humble capacity. In one particular case a girl committed a relatively minor offense, but threatened a person with gang retaliation along similar lines–an ‘if you tell on me you’ll have to answer to the crips’. The judge threw the book at the girl and stated that the reason he did so was not because of her crime, but because of the severity of her threat and how that affected the victim.
As always, if it this does not become a criminal thing, this could likely be a civil thing. Anyways enough hack opinons from a person like me, not licensed to give anything close to legal advice.
I Think we should all chip in a couple bucks and bye officer Cho a nice fixie… then maybe we’ll have him join us on a few rides and we’ll have his trigger happy fingers on our side of the asphalt…
Or maybe a good number of us bike riders need to join the academy…
Remember in the Matrix when Neo flew across the hall into that agent then exploded him from the inside out?
Thats that shit!
@Alex Thompson: Hey man we’re bike riders!! This shit is all about revolution!!
Aren’t you tryin to get somewhere? If you aint about revolutions then you’re just sittin on a really expensive stool with two wheels…
Power to the Sheeple!!
Question:
1. Were you all keeping right?
@Marshall
That is so irrelevant it’s not even funny.
Question:
- Were the riders wearing helmets?
Question:
- Did the riders have rear lights?
Question:
- Were the riders making more than 50k a year?
Question:
- Was the Hummer driver black white brown or filipino?
Question:
- Was the cop black white brown or filipino?
Question
- Were the cyclists black white brown or filipino?
Did I miss any, Marshall?
pretty fuckin crazy that cops are takin the side of “crips” over the side cyclists…
I guess cyclists are now considered more threatening than violent and notorious gangs like the crips…
“Ay where you from?!”
“Earthside!!!”
I used to ride 20miles (I’m sure everyone else rides 50 or more) a day just because my body needed it. During my ride my body filled with energy. Under the wrong situation that energy could be directed toward someone or something. I was hit by a truck going over a bridge one day and had headaches ever since stopping me from riding. The truck never stopped, I crawled to a store bleeding.
fast forward 3yrs driving in a minivan in boulder,co. traffic in heavy and i was blocking the walkway by a foot waiting for traffic to move. A biker rides right into my van on purpose. I get out to see if he’s OK and a group of people start to surround me and my family. I did pull out my gun and was able to get my family to safety.
All to often its them against us. I’m sure if everyone tried to keep themselves in check most situations would be avoidable. accidents do happen groups of highly energetic people do scare families. Show the same respect you would like to be shown.
I’m sure the difference will never be resolved. Most important while there are assholes not everyone is one
Peace
@ Mihai
I get why you flipped the fuck out. I was asking because if we were then we have a lot more fuel to go against the LAPD. Sorry for asking? Do you need a hug?
I appreciate bikers–the fact that they bike to exercise or to save the planet–but before bikers start complaining about being treated as second class citizens, it would be nice if they learned how to ride safely and appropriately. I don’t know what happened in this situation, but bikers are not supposed to ride tandem on the street. They are technically supposed to ride single file so that cars can pass them. Were these 12 bikers doing that? How did that bike get caught under the car without more serious injury? Was the bike being used to block the car’s path?
I’ve heard so many bikers say that they’ve been hit by drivers who were turning right at an intersection without paying attention. Technically, bikers should not be passing cars on the right. Especially at an intersection. If a car tried to do that (pull up on the right side of a car turning right), they would probably get hit as well. However, even then, it’s easier to see a car, and the injuries for someone in a car would probably be much less than for someone on a bike.
Bikers need to decide: Are you riding in traffic? Then follow the rules of the road! Don’t ride past cars that have stopped at a traffic light. You should stop, too. Making cars pass you multiple times because it’s easier not to follow the rules of the road is dangerous! Otherwise, be a pedestrian and follow the rules of walking your bike around other pedestrians and across the street. Bikes are not meant to let you ride however you like. In fact, I’m surprised that more bikers are not ticketed by the police for their unsafe behavior.
Sure…it’s more fun, and less work, to bike unsafely. But, there are consequences for that!! Who knows how this incident really happened. Be safe in your biking, or stop complaining about accidents on the road.
@ Emily
I agree that we need to be clear on what the bicyclist did wrong, but I think the Hummer went beyond a few minor traffic violations and stepped into the arena of assault. The reason this report is so important and shocking is that the LAPD completely disregarded an armed and dangerous group of people.
If you’ve never lived in LA, then you’re not aware of the roving Cycle gangs that will shut down intersections and block all traffic as 100-200 slow-ass cyclists meander down the road. It is by far the most annoying thing ever.
The cyclists were lucky they weren’t run over, I’ve often dreampt of chasing them down and crushing everyone involved as I’ve sat through 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 rotations of a stoplight completely unable to move because the people on bikes are breaking the law by illegally shutting down an intersection.
Next time the HUMMER should just CRUSH all of them, then maybe the rest of us drivers who follow the law and don’t disregard and disrespect others on the road won’t have to waste 20 minutes or more at an intersection waiting for these cycling losers to pass bye.
is it legal for a cyclist to pack heat? not a concealed weapon, mind you. maybe a pump on a bar-mounted texas-style gun rack? that’s a mod i can get behind … kidding. of course. but that would be great. seriously mfgd awesome.
also, emily, i could be wrong but i don’t think the law does state where a cyclist is supposed to ride, any more than it states where a scooter driver is supposed to ride to let cars pass. we’re all vehicles out there. it’s my understanding that if there’s a single lane and there’s not enough room – say, for double-parking reasons – the safest thing to do is take the lane. i do this all the time on my commute. car drivers are primarily frightened by cyclists, as drivers typically don’t know what to do in auto-bike situations, and usually the best thing to do is remove their judgement from the equation.
i do agree with you that more folks need to obey traffic lights. i hate when i’m waiting at a light and some tight-pants fixie jackass blows through. he’s missing a perfectly good opportunity to show off his track stands. god, i do hate fixiehipster doofii.
@steve
Those “roving Cycle gangs” would have probably never come into existence if cyclists were afforded the same rights as cars.
Even though we are designated the same legal status as cars, we are not afforded the same rights when it comes to usage of the transportation infrastructures.
Driving is a privilege and you have to take a test and get a license to drive a car.
Riding a bike is a right which requires no process of approval or disapproval to operate on the road.
I’m glad you feel the discomfort of sitting in your car as you wait for us to pass.
It is only through discomfort that we can change the system to be more democratic.
You’re seriously exaggerating if you’re trying to say you waited twenty minutes for 100-200 bikers.
And its no longer groups of 100-200…
Now we are roving in groups of 300-1000.
And even then you might only have to wait a maximal of ten minutes.
Luckily you are only part of a very small minority of people who are so self-centered and self-absorbed in the self-deluded importance of their personal rat race that you feel the need to resort to violence or threats of violence.
Your life is not so important that you cant wait through a couple extra light cycles.
What are you on your way to do thats so important?
Are you on your way to cure cancer or stop the war or end poverty?
Most people are inspired, awe-struck, and happy to see us riding together in solidarity.
Obviously your experiences in Los Angeles have made you a shallow, selfish, deluded, self-centered, spoiled little bitch…
Only a little bitch would wana see a bunch of bike riders get run over by a Hummer…
You didnt even threaten that you would do it yourself…
You wana see someone else do it.
You’re pathetic.
Violence only begets more violence!!
And if you dont know that, then you dont know LA!
Wise up fucker!
You don’t know shit about shit
There are “Rules of the Road” published for bikers. Bikes are allowed to ride in traffic, but there are certain rules that have been developed to help keep them safe. Here are a couple of links:
http://www.bikelink.com/law_safety.htm
http://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/publications/pdf_publications/dsd_a1434.pdf
The second one even has a quiz at the end. Bicyclists are expected to ride on the right side of the road unless something prevents them from doing it (e.g. an obstruction or the need to pass a slower bike). Even then, though, the bikers should NOT just pull out into the lane of traffic. They should check to see what traffic is doing and then signal that they are merging to avoid the problem (just like a car would have to do). One point is that bikes are NOT as fast as cars. That’s why I think bike lanes are a good idea (I think this is a safer option for all vehicles).
No, cars should NOT attack bikes, or make bikers feel uncomfortable. However, safety is EVERYONE’s responsibility! Bikers need to know the rules of the road and follow them, or they put themselves at risk for accidents. Nobody wants that.
We’re taking this shit over…
Soon everyone will join us…
Two Wheels One Planet…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=stNP7rR6Sq0&feature=player_embedded
@Emily
sorry Emily I don’t know what you’re smoking but the California Vehicle Code doesnt say anything about “bikers are not supposed to ride tandem on the street. They are technically supposed to ride single file so that cars can pass them.”
AND
CVC 21202 clearly gives me the right to “take the lane” as we call it, when we feel it is necessary for our safety.
The whole idea of “taking the lane” is I DONT WANT YOU TO TRY AND PASS ME THUS PUTTING MY LIFE IN DANGER.
If there are two lanes then you go in the left lane.
If there is one lane then you wait.
And by the way… A bike lane that’s sandwiched in between where cars parallel park and traffic lanes is TOTAL BULLSHIT!
I can’t wait for the end of oil. What then, bitches?
Missing the obvious:
“Oh, and officer Cho? The passenger also called you a bitch-ass Chink and said he owns you.”
@ everyone
Jesus is the way. Stop hating.
Because in 4-5 years, Los Angeles will be crowded with cyclists (even if GM survives)
holy crap, there’s some crazy people in here that have obviously never ridden a bike in traffic in LA, it’s not as easy to “stay to the right” as you make it sound. Also, keep in mind that CARS are also considered obstructions when it comes to the safe travel of any cyclist on the road.
It seems like people start thinking that their cars are these immutable objects that can just hunker along as they please without looking for cyclists. In reality it’s a shared space and everyone needs to keep watch for all road users, not just race the clock to get to work on time.
I realize that everyone shares the responsibility of following the rules of the road, but keep in mind that a car can easily kill someone if you drive around carelessly without remembering the careful lessons you learned in Drivers Ed.
Slow down and enjoy life, especially the weekends.
Wow. I just moved here back in February from San Francisco, and one of the first things I noticed here is that half the people in cars seem hate pedestrians and cyclists and consider them obstructions. One of my coworkers in the first week even made some comment about not being able to turn right on the way to work because of pedestrians. Then of course, there are also the rabid cyclists that respond to the drivers by provoking them more. That being said, this Hummer incident is hardly surprising at all.
However, even though I’ve gotten more chill with age in regards to crazy police officer behavior, I’m totally appalled that the LAPD pretty much lives up to its horrible reputation. It’s actually kind of a shock. I work in an office downtown and just the other day was almost run down by not one, but two motorists (I was walking with the walky light) making an illegal left turn. A block away a police was handing out tickets to people walking on the blinking red walk light. All cliche comments aside, this city seriously needs to get a clue.
What is it going to take before the city wises up and helps to solve this problem instead of just making it worse?
So, I wonder how much this officer was bribed by this reckless driver.
Hey Ryto. I agree that the motorists in this city seem to be driving in bloody-minded and individualistic little bubbles, even coming to see other human beings as obstructions in their path. I think that as cyclists, we work with a much more open sense of space, whereas drivers have a sense of power and anonymity in their private automobiles, and dismiss the idea that they must share the public space. On the streets, the impact that this self-importance is making is more than unjust — it’s sick and it’s sad. Sometimes I wonder where it all started — does the law reflect the individuals? Do the individuals reflect the law? Or maybe society is a reflection of global politics. Chicken-and-egging will not get us very far, but I do think that CM’s persistent presence in the streets will outlast egotistical drivers, and one day we will all get the respect and courtesy that we deserve.
@ emily
… Even then, though, the bikers should NOT just pull out into the lane of traffic …
What retarded cyclist would do that? I’m not counting weekend cruisers here, the ones who talk on their cellphones. Next time I see a cyclist talking on a cellphone, I’m slapping it into the street. For real.
New thread idea: In lieu of actually separated bike lanes, what does everyone think about lining the bike lane stripe with reflective highway-style road studs? Useful? Counterproductive? Too expensive? Guerilla road stud event, anyone?
You fucking Yanks are all nutters! Thank God I live in Britain where there is still civilisation and people speak English.
WE SHALL OVERCOME
Christ, what an asshole.
So, what exactly happened with the biker? Where was he?
And if the officer didn’t issue a ticket, did he have to file any paperwork on a warning citation or anything? Is there any hope of recovering damages against the driver?