Cops hunt Cambridge bicyclist they say rammed pedestrian who asked him to watch where he was going

By adamg on Wed, 12/21/2022 - 5:22pm

Cambridge Police report they are looking for a bicyclist who responded to a request from a pedestrian in a crosswalk at Cambridge Common by circling around and ramming into her.

Police say the woman he hit was crossing at Concord Avenue and Waterhouse Street around 5:45 p.m. on Nov. 15:

While crossing, a bicyclist (described as a white male about 50-years-old wearing a navy fleece and no helmet) narrowly missed the pedestrian. The bicyclist, who was coming from the Cambridge Common and riding without any lights, circled back to the pedestrian after she requested he watch where he was going. He then biked towards her, struck her arms and legs, and drove down Concord Avenue towards Garden Street. The pedestrian was evaluated on-scene by officers and did not seek transportation to a hospital.

Anybody with info can contact police at 617-349-3300 or send an anonymous tip message, starting with TIP650, to 847411.

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Comments

WTF

By Tim Mc.
Wed, 12/21/2022 - 5:51pm

The amount of crazy on the roads this week is way too high.

This is assualt

By Ron Newman
Wed, 12/21/2022 - 6:02pm

and should be charged as such, along with ordinary traffic violations such as riding without a headlight and reckless operation.

Riding without a headlight is a ….

By Lee
Wed, 12/21/2022 - 6:16pm

…. traffic violation?

Google is your friend.

By Milwaukee Mike
Wed, 12/21/2022 - 7:07pm

Google is your friend.

https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/T...

(8) During the period from one-half hour after sunset to one-half hour before sunrise, the operator shall display to the front of his bicycle a lamp emitting a white light visible from a distance of at least five hundred feet, and to the rear of said bicycle either a lamp emitting a red light, or a red reflector visible for not less than six hundred feet when directly in front of lawful lower beams of headlamps on a motor vehicle.

Sunset on November 15, 2022 was at 4:22PM, FYI.

A headlight is worn on your head.

By Lee
Wed, 12/21/2022 - 8:34pm

I already know about the law about front lights and back reflectors on bikes.

Google is your friend as well.

What do you call the front lights of a car at night?

By Ron Newman
Wed, 12/21/2022 - 9:08pm

Most folks call them headlights, and use the same term for front-facing bicycle lights.

While I'm in awe of your

By Milwaukee Mike
Wed, 12/21/2022 - 9:12pm

While I'm in awe of your literalism, I'd point out that the New York Times (https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.nytimes.com/wirec...) and many manufacturers/retailers (e.g. https://www.rei.com/product/184798/light-motion-vi..., https://bicyclewarehouse.com/collections/headlights) refer to the front lamp on a bicycle as a "headlight." You can argue as to whether or not that's the ideal way to refer to the front lamp on a bicycle, but you'd have to be deliberately obtuse or bafflingly pedantic to miss the point here.

You brought up Google.

By Lee
Wed, 12/21/2022 - 9:18pm

So Google headlight and get over yourself.

I have Googled it, thanks.

By Milwaukee Mike
Wed, 12/21/2022 - 9:33pm

I have Googled it, thanks. You have identified a valid, alternate definition of "headlight." Lights that strap to people's heads are things that exist. Nobody is disputing this...

This is a fascinatingly weird hill to die on

By Tim Mc.
Wed, 12/21/2022 - 9:29pm

n/t

Why, oh why, was I dumb

By Milwaukee Mike
Wed, 12/21/2022 - 9:34pm

Why, oh why, was I dumb enough to engage???

Does this mean

By SamWack
Thu, 12/22/2022 - 3:56pm

That an earwig is a wig you wear on your ear?

The Cambridge cop who filed…

By Lee
Wed, 12/21/2022 - 6:14pm

… this report felt it was necessary to note that the cyclist was not wearing a helmet.
How is this relevant?

because the offender in not just an asshole

By anon
Wed, 12/21/2022 - 6:23pm

he is a stupid asshole.

Seems like it was mentioned

By anon
Wed, 12/21/2022 - 6:29pm

Seems like it was mentioned to help identify the person. For example, a cyclist who always wears a helmet could likely be ruled out.

disregard for public safety

By anon
Wed, 12/21/2022 - 6:46pm

because when they end up in the ER with a preventable head injury it will delay treatment of innocent people with medical problems not caused by their own stupidity

Relevant to the gene pool.

By Milwaukee Mike
Wed, 12/21/2022 - 7:11pm

Relevant to the gene pool.

It's a description

By BostonDog
Wed, 12/21/2022 - 8:23pm

They also noted his estimated age and the color of his sweatshirt.

Hopefully someone can ID him.

It’s against the law

By Waquiot
Wed, 12/21/2022 - 8:59pm

I’d provide a link to the relevant section of the law, but I believe you know the law.

What's against the law?

By Ron Newman
Wed, 12/21/2022 - 9:23pm

There is no law requiring an adult bicyclist to wear a helmet. There is, however, a law requiring a front light after dark.

Can you provide that link?

By spin_o_rama
Wed, 12/21/2022 - 10:56pm

Were you assuming the cyclist was 16 years old or younger? Or did you miss the part where the police described the culprit as being in their 50s?

iii) Any person 16 years of age or younger operating a bicycle or being carried as a passenger on a bicycle on a public way, bicycle path or on any other public right-of-way shall wear a helmet. Said helmet shall fit the person's head, shall be secured to the person's head by straps while the bicycle is being operated, and shall meet the standards for helmets established by the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission. These requirements shall not apply to a passenger if the passenger is in an enclosed trailer or other device which adequately holds the passenger in place and protects the passenger's head from impact in an accident.

(iv) A violation of clause (ii) or (iii) shall not be used as evidence of contributory negligence in any civil action.

https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/T...

I stand corrected

By Waquiot
Thu, 12/22/2022 - 9:59am

N/t

Don’t get your biking panties in a twist.

By Homer Bedloe
Thu, 12/22/2022 - 7:28am

Observations like that are routinely included in a report.

You have to understand, if

By anon
Wed, 12/21/2022 - 6:48pm

You have to understand, if you’re a pedestrian or person in a wheelchair, cyclists and motorists are going to hit you.

Road rage with a bike

By Matt
Wed, 12/21/2022 - 7:00pm

Minor medical attention.

Road rage with a car, someone dies.

Why, that ungrateful woman

By Milwaukee Mike
Wed, 12/21/2022 - 7:09pm

Why, that ungrateful woman should have thanked the man for riding a bicycle.

Milwaukee?

By Matt
Thu, 12/22/2022 - 11:35am

Shame. Madison is a great biking city. They really respect and accommodate bicycles.

Yup Sure Thing

By John Costello
Wed, 12/21/2022 - 7:13pm

Yup, you betcha.

Let's laugh off assault. Ha ha ha.

Glass houses John

By spin_o_rama
Thu, 12/22/2022 - 9:39am

https://twitter.com/streamside1070/status/15945168...

https://www.universalhub.com/comment/901829#commen...

Who's laughing?

By Matt
Thu, 12/22/2022 - 11:30am

They didn't teach physics back when you were at BLS?

They did when I was there. Cars are big and fast. Force = Mass * Acceleration. Energy = 0.5 Mass * Velocity squared.

When a car driver loses it, a 4000 lb vehicle capable of large accelerations and high velocity easily becomes a deadly weapon.

When a bicyclist takes out a brick building storefront, I'll publicly apologize for my comments.

Road rage with a bike can kill

By mg
Wed, 12/21/2022 - 7:27pm

If the woman had been elderly or physically frail, it could have caused her to fall hit her head, which can lead to death. It sounds like the ramming could have led to a broken bone even without a fall, or to a fall resulting in a concussion. Being hit by a bike can lead to serious injuries, just like being hit by a fist or kicked.

LOL

By Angry Dan
Wed, 12/21/2022 - 8:41pm

If something that didn't happen did happen it could have been terrible! Bicycles are potentially as deadly as hand grenades!!!11

[Crickets...]

By Milwaukee Mike
Wed, 12/21/2022 - 9:16pm

[Crickets...]

It's true

By Tim Mc.
Wed, 12/21/2022 - 9:31pm

Any physical assault can kill someone, with bad enough luck.

The *probability* of it is a hell of a lot lower with a bike (or a fist) than with a car, but yeah, it can definitely happen.

All that said, there are plenty of reasons it's pretty rare to hear about it happening.

If you are going to act like a child

By U-Hub-Fan
Wed, 12/21/2022 - 9:17pm

maybe a tricycle is more your thing?

You're right

By Matt
Thu, 12/22/2022 - 11:40am

If I act like a child, I should not be given access to a 4000 lb object capable of traveling 100 mph,

We should start enforcing that more broadly.

Asault is asault

By HenryAlan 2.0
Thu, 12/22/2022 - 9:21am

While your observation about likely injuries is true, you cannot excuse this behavior on the basis that it is less physically harmful. It is certainly very psychologically harmful to be assaulted, and there are a variety of other reasons why we should come down hard on this behavior. I hope they catch this guy and prosecute.

I'm not excusing the behavior

By Matt
Thu, 12/22/2022 - 11:34am

I'm pointing out that when road rage happens, it can easily be deadly when a car is involved.

This is an undeniable fact. Yet Caristas don't seem to want to acknowledge this additional cost/liability autos inflict on public streets.

Come on

By lbb
Thu, 12/22/2022 - 4:14pm

Yet Caristas don't seem to want to acknowledge this additional cost/liability autos inflict on public streets.

Come on. Unless you just fell off the logging truck from Montana, you know that in Massachusetts, auto registration requires carrying insurance against personal and property damage. You can certainly make the case that the required amount of coverage is not high enough, and I would not disagree -- it hasn't changed in decades iirc -- but it is there.

I think you have a point, but you're destroying it with hyperbole. A more useful point here, IF the "caristas" start with the "see? see? bikes are dangerous too!", would be to point out how rare this kind of aggression is. Then perhaps we can be grownups and just take it as read that none of us think that road rage is ok, and we can just unstick the conversation from that non-point.

Insurance is civil liability

By Matt
Thu, 12/22/2022 - 5:35pm

Assault or murder is criminal liability.

No, this is a great time to point out another benefit of increased bicycle usage. When people are not at their best, they can do substantially less damage with a bicycle than a car.

Less damage, less polution, less energy waste, e.t.c...

The fact that you’re defending this guy

By robo
Thu, 12/22/2022 - 5:44pm

And continue to defend this guy, is all everyone needs to know. You give cyclist’s a bad name. I have no doubt about it.

No

By Matt
Thu, 12/22/2022 - 6:24pm

I'm not defending this guy. None of my comments defend this guy. Where do you see that? Just copy and paste in your response. I'll wait.

You are though

By robo
Thu, 12/22/2022 - 6:28pm

Your rabid responses are blinding you.

They didn't teach physics back when you were at BLS?

They did when I was there. Cars are big and fast. Force = Mass * Acceleration. Energy = 0.5 Mass * Velocity squared.

When a car driver loses it, a 4000 lb vehicle capable of large accelerations and high velocity easily becomes a deadly weapon.

When a bicyclist takes out a brick building storefront, I'll publicly apologize for my comments.

If you don’t see this as defending this guy then I have nothing else to say.