Ralph
Clark, a 74 year-old Montgomery County, Texas man in a large SUV decided last
week to run down a small group of peaceful cyclists and run them off the
road. This was not some thousand-strong
group of Critical Mass cyclists taking over the streets of a major city and
blowing through dozens of red lights and stop signs.
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| Ralph Clark: Attacked Cyclists with SUV |
According to the Montgomery County Police Reporter: This
was a group of half a dozen cyclists , going single-file at about 25 miles per
hour on a quiet road in north suburban Houston, when Clark pulled in front of
them and started cussing them, telling them to get off his street. He then pulled in front of them and slowed
down to 15. One of the riders went to go past.
Clark, then drove let, running the cyclist off the road. Another cyclist
then tried to go around the other side, when Clark slammed on his brakes,
causing one of the cyclists to slam into the back of Clark’s truck. The cyclist
fractured his wrist, dislocated his shoulder and injured his knee.
Clark,
then got out of his truck with a bat and started a verbal altercation with
another rider and started swing a bat at the rest of them. One of the cyclists took out a cell phone and
got video of Clark swinging his bat at the cyclists. Clark then got in his SUV
and drove over a $5000 bike.
Fortunately
he was arrested for criminal mischief. A
charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon (his SUV) is expected to go
to the Grand Jury.
It’s
totally unclear why this guy went so ballistic over a few peaceful
cyclists. The video doesn’t give any
indication. One of the cyclists said
they have been riding in the subdivision for 15 years with no problems except
for one several years ago, which was extremely minor.
Whatever
it was, Clark totally lost it and could have killed someone. He certainly tried to injure a cyclist, and succeeded
at it. It’s one thing not to see a
cyclist. That’s why they ride in packs and wear bright colors. Cyclists are extremely vulnerable on their
bikes, with no protection beyond a small helmet. A guy in a huge SUV, on the other hand,
driving it like a battering ram, is truly wielding a deadly weapon. This was
nothing less than aggravated assault.
Clark deserves jail time, not as an example to others, but for the
simple crime he committed. He tried to injure or kill a group of innocent guys
out for a ride. He’s unhinged and needs
to spend time behind bars.
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