Which bicycle part could be mistaken for a weapon?
A long quill stem comes to my mind. Still, it seems like a bit of a stretch of the imagination. A crank arm, seat post or rear derailleur (if held the right way) also come to my mind.
I admit that many people have more vivid imaginations (and greater minds) than mine. Still, it seems a bit of a stretch, to me, to confuse any bicycle component with an implement of destruction. Perhaps someone from the Los Angeles Police Department--or the Los Angeles Times--could have been more specific.
According to their reports, a 31-year-old mentally ill man was "holding a bicycle part that resembled a handgun" when an officer fatally shot him in January.
Victor Valencia's family members, naturally, want answers. They claim that he "posed no threat" and wonder "what gave the reason" for the officer "to shoot down my cousin like he was nothing," in the words of Sara Cervantes.
Indeed. I'd like to know what Mr. Valencia was wielding that made him seem like such a threat?
