It's bad enough to be struck or "doored" by a motorist who "didn't see" you even though you were dressed in reflective and fluorescent clothing and had your "blinkies" flashing even though it was midday.
And it's galling that, too often, such motorists get "slapped on the wrist" or incur no penalty at all. Moreover, the cyclist, especially if he/she/they doesn't survive the "accident" is likely to be blamed, even if, in addition to wearing the bright vetements I described, also donned a helmet and obeyed all traffic laws.
What could be worse?
Perhaps what Jesus Ayala and Jzamir Keys did.
On 14 August, the duo joyrode four stolen cars--in a single day--and struck two cyclists and a car intentionally.
Yes, you read that right. There is no conjecture about their intentions: As Ayala drove the vehicles, Keyes filmed their "adventures" from the passenger side. In the video, they can be heard laughing as Ayala drove into retired police officer Andreas Probst as he cycled down a Las Vegas street. When Probst bounced off the windshield and onto the side of the road, one of the teens said to the other, "We gotta get outta here."
Yes, they are teens: Keys is 16 and Ayala has turned 18 since the incident. That means Ayala could be moved to an adult jail from the juvenile facility where he's been held since his arrest. Keys fled and was caught a month later.
Ayala predicts, "I'll be out in 30 days, I'll bet you." His reasoning, he said, is that it was "just a hit-and-run."
Except for a couple of small details. In addition to injuring the other cyclist, who was not identified, Ayala's antics killed Probst.
The cynic in me says that law enforcement officials are taking it more seriously than they might have because one of their own died. But even if that is the case, I hope that it leads to Ayala getting the sort of punishment any driver deserves, but too rarely gets, for striking and killing a cyclist. He won't have much to laugh about then.
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