New York, NY – The NYPD has announced that an arrest has been made in the videotaped Sunday biker gang road rage attack which sent a motorist to the hospital after he was beaten in front of his wife and 2 year-old daughter.
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CBSNEWS.com (http://cbsn.ws/18oMyJN) is reporting that 28 year-old Christopher Cruz has been charged with reckless endangerment, reckless menacing, and endangering the welfare of a child.
The chilling event made national news after more than 6 minutes of the event was posted to YouTube, videotaped by a member of the biker gang who was wearing a helmet cam.
Commenting on the conclusion of the video, which shows one biker smashing the driver’s window of the SUV with his helmet, Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said, “They take their helmets and they start to dent his car, and apparently his tires are slashed there.”
Kelly said that’s where the assault took place.
“He’s taken out of the car, (and) he is assaulted,” Kelly said.
The driver of the SUV has been identified as 33 year-old Alexian Lien, who was released from Columbia Presbyterian after receiving stitches for cuts to his face and treatment for bruises.
Lien, according to authorities, will not face charges.
A witness to the beating, Christopher Quinones, said, “One of the bicyclists, he got off his bike. and he started attacking the person in the Range Rover with his helmet, breaking the windows. And after they got him out of his car, they beat him up.”
The person who posted the video to YouTube said the bike gang was participating in an annual city street ride, which Kelly said resembled an event last year in which large groups of bikers calling themselves “Hollywood Stunts” converged on Times Square.
“This is a major stunt event where motorcyclists from various locations come together,” Kelly said. “Their ultimate goal is to get into Times Square, which they did last year. Quite frankly, it wasn’t on anybody’s radar screen last year. We were aware of it this year.”
Kelly said the NYPD proactively set up checkpoints throughout the city this year to prevent the riders from making it into Midtown Manhattan, resulting in 15 arrests, 68 summonses, and the confiscation of 55 motorcycles.
I saw a pack of about 50 of them driving eastbound on the Jackie Robinson around 11:50 a.m. on Sunday. Several were popping wheelies and doing other crazy stunts. I never see any cops on the Jackie Robinson. In any event, there are very few motorcycle cops in the NYPD, and patrol cars can’t catch bikers.
Why would they even bother saying Lien won’t be charged? What should he be charged with? Protecting himself? Trying not to get killed? Protecting his family?
The motorcycle riders who attacked the Chinese man, were nothing but a pack of savages. The news media has not reported that the motorcycle riders in that gang were all Black. However, if the cyclists had been white, and the driver who was beaten was Black, then it would have been reported, along with other allegations (i.e. “Racists”, “White Supremacists”, etc.). However, when the perpetrators who are Black engage in a hate crime/ violent crime, the news media handles that point with kid gloves.
“This is a major stunt event where motorcyclists from various locations come together,” Kelly said. “Their ultimate goal is to get into Times Square, which they did last year. Quite frankly, it wasn’t on anybody’s radar screen last year. We were aware of it this year.”
Mr. Kelly, YOU DID A LOUSY JOB protecting New Yorkers from these PUNKS!
These “Hollywood Punks” will now become fish feed to the Hell’s Angels!
haha thanks to our dear president Obama who was visiting the police were not available.in other words we are vulnerable.
To #7 - I’m glad that you don’t live here, either!
how disgusting that all of this time the driver could not get police protection even after he phoned for help…