Fourteen cyclists reported being targeted in the past week by a group of drivers who deliberately try to injure them by opening their doors. Fox 11 reports that these attacks occurred between Thursday and Sunday in Oakland, Emeryville and Berkeley. So far, eight people have been hit and two have been taken to hospital.
Attackers do not sit they parked and opened the doors in what could be considered an accident. Instead, as you can see in the video below, they drive past cyclists and deliberately try to hit them with the passenger door. Cyclists are said to have been hit twice without opening the door. The good news is that at least in this one case, it was caught on video and the car’s license plate is clearly visible, which will make it easier to catch these bastards. Except, of course, it is stolen.
Oakland police say they are investigating one of the attacks, but another cyclist, who was taken to the hospital with a head injury, was ignored by police and told to call another time. “I have eight stitches and this big bump on my forehead,” Mead said Fox 11. “There was this gray sedan. The passenger opened the door and slowed the car down. My bike just hit it. I fell to the ground. They drove away. As they drove away, they laughed.”
While several reports mention the gray Hyundai in the video above, a blue hatchback was also involved in a similar attack and a light blue SUV hit Watson Ladd. “This is very scary. This is criminal. I mean, people who do that really have to think about the consequences,” Ladd said. “They pulled forward after the roundabout. As they passed me, they opened the door with a tap on my shoulder and drove off. They opened the door knowing I was there. They tried to kill me on purpose.”
Hopefully the people behind the attacks are caught quickly. Because seriously, screw these people. If you don’t like cyclists, that’s fine. You are allowed to express an opinion. To support protected cycle paths so cars and bikes don’t have to interact as often. But hitting someone with your car on purpose is still a crime.
