TheWashCycle

5 years later, Metropolitan Branch Trail/911 address problem still not fixed

It's become an unfotunate trend on the Metropolitan Branch Trail, but it seems there has been another rash of teen-on-cyclist crime lately.

Just before noon on Monday, two men attempted to push a woman off her bike and when she was unable to get away from them, they demanded her money. They ended up stealing her iphone and $50. 

A man witnessed the robbery and captured the suspects on video.

"They asked me if I was calling the feds,” he said.

The witness also pulled out his phone and watched as it took the young thieves seconds to rob the victim of $50 and an iPhone.

"They were just walking up and they pushed her and caused her to wobble,” the witness told us. “Knocked her off her bike and took her phone and cash out of her wallet.”

When he called 911, the dispatcher told him that wihout an address, "they could not send help because there are no markers to help direct them to the section of the trail they were at." This is particularly frustrating because this limitation was noted at least 5 years ago, and was suppossed to have been solved. Have they done nothing to address this issue (n

The victim and the witness were able to walk out to a cross street on 3rd and R Streets and meet with a D.C. officer.

 

Look out for these 2 guys, just shoved a lady off her bike and stole her phone and cash on the #MBT. #bikeDC pic.twitter.com/paj22d4BSe

— jwetz (@jwetz) July 13, 2015

 

More pictures of the muggers on the #MBT from 1130 this am. Video screencaps. #BikeDC #EckingtonDC @DCPoliceDept pic.twitter.com/VwGXu75RlU

— jwetz (@jwetz) July 13, 2015

Furthermore, it seems that the witness had trouble getting the photos to the police

 

Hey @DCPoliceDept, got video of 2 guys that mugged a lady. "You need to call back tomorrow after the case has been given to a detective."

— jwetz (@jwetz) July 13, 2015

Two suspects were arrested the next day, even if the police think the MBT is a mountain bike trail. 

Police say officers arrested two teenaged boys from Northeast D.C. on Tuesday for the incident and have charged them with robbery force and violence.

But wait, there's more! The Wedesday prior to all of this, there had been another crime that got less attention. This one was reported on the MBT listserv.

I've not seen it mentioned elsewhere, but I just found out yesterday that a friend of mine was jumped/knocked off his bike at the RI Ave ped bridge last Wed nite ~10:30PM. Perp was hiding in the bushes at the base of bridge & sprung out as he was passing by. The guy hopped on his bike & rode off on the trail southbound w/my friend in pursuit on foot. Four others were standing on the stairway, but did nothing (perhaps lookouts?) & were gone by the time police got there. He hadn't heard about yesterday's incident when I talked to him in the afternoon & I him showed the photos posted online & he said that one of the guys may have been the same one that waylaid him; he's following up w/MPD to see if he can help identifying anyone involved. Others on the trail were not far behind & may have fared worse than he did (black eye from being punched & road rash/bruises from hitting the ground) as he's a pretty tough old goat.

I guess we can home both crimes were with the same kids. All of this follows another wave of crime in May. 

Distracted Driver in fatal Hagerstown Hit and Run faces multiple charges

There's an update on this fatal crash from January. Her hearing was postponed, but I'm not sure why.

Twenty-four-year-old Nadine Rager (RAG'-er) of Hagerstown was charged in March, about six weeks after the hit-and-run collision that killed 47-year-old John Bushman. A hearing scheduled for Tuesday in Hagerstown has been reset for Aug. 24.

Rager is charged with manslaughter, leaving the scene of an accident and unlawful text messaging.

And the story from when she was charged.

A Washington County Circuit Court grand jury has issued an eight-count indictment against a Hagerstown woman on charges ranging from vehicular manslaughter to texting while driving in the Jan. 29 death of a bicyclist on West Washington Street.

Assistant State's Attorney Leon Debes told Wright that Bushman and Rager were both heading west when the crash occurred. Rager, who was driving her boyfriend's 2010 Mazda 3, fled the scene without stopping, he said.

It was not until about 15 minutes later that another passer-by spotted Bushman's body lying by the road. The collision left pieces of the car behind, and a local dealership was able to identify the make and model of the car, Debes said.

Investigators determined that Rager was out buying spice, or synthetic marijuana, and that she smoked some of the drug with a friend before dropping that person off prior to the crash, Debes alleged. 

There is also surveillance video that captured images of the Mazda being driven faster than other vehicles and not staying in its lane, he said.

"She was texting while she was driving, as well," Debes told Wright.

Although Rager initially told investigators she was unaware she had struck a person, Debes noted there was a dent on the hood of the car where Bushman's body landed and a cracked windshield.

Rager was indicted on charges of negligent manslaughter by vehicle; criminally negligent manslaughter by vehicle; failure to immediately stop at the scene of an accident involving serious injury or death; failure to immediately return and remain at the scene of an accident involving serious injury or death; failure to render aid at the scene of an accident involving serious injury or death; using a text messaging device while driving and causing an accident resulting in serious injury or death; texting while operating a vehicle and negligent driving.

Not to bury the lede, but

Rager's previous record includes a probation before judgment for driving while suspended and using a handheld telephone while driving, he said. 

Those charges were filed in 2014, but the pleas were entered on Feb. 5, a week after Bushman's death, according to Washington County District Court records.

Online court records indicated she also has an earlier conviction for using a handheld telephone while driving.

 

Drivers who kill people on bikes often don't get prosecuted

Since 1971, there have been 109 fatal bicycle crashes in the DC region. Authorities rarely prosecute the drivers, and when they do, punishments aren't very harsh.

You can read the rest of this at GreaterGreaterWashington.

Bishop involved in Baltimore bike fatality indicted on 13 charges

Bishop Cook, accused of hitting cyclist Thomas Palermo with her while driving drunk and distracted has been indicted. She could be on track for a long sentence.

The charges include automobile manslaughter, driving under the influence of alcohol and leaving the scene of an accident. Other charges in the indictment include homicide by motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol; driving while impaired; texting while driving during an accident that results in death or serious bodily injury; reckless driving; and negligent driving.

Cook has been free on bail while awaiting trial; she is scheduled for arraignment March 5.

Meanwhile, the church continues to deal with issues related to what they knew and when they knew it.

Cyclist a victim of random stabbing

A cyclist was stabbed in the chest by a teenager on the 13th

while riding his bike home, Kyra’s husband Brian was attacked with a knife by a teenager. He was riding near 7th and L Streets SE when he ran into the teens. One of them stepped out onto the street and stabbed him on the chest. Although Brian is fine –he only required a staple and antibiotics– his story is a painful reminder that there are those out there who can and do hurt others.

Update: Here's another description

A NAVSEA 05 employee was assaulted on his way home from work yesterday (~1730 13 Jan 15).  He was riding his bike north on 7th street between K & L in SE DC (in vicinity of Marine Barracks).  He noticed a group of kids, and one came out between the cars and stabbed him in the chest.

Driver in Palermo case blew a 0.22 was texting while driving, to be charged with manslaughter and more

Bishop Heather Cook - who had previously pleaded guilty to a 2010 drunken driving charge in which she registered a .27 blood alcohol level - and more recently struck and killed cyclist Thomas Palermo with her car, reportedly registered a .22 blood alcohol level after the crash and is being charged with manslaughter and leaving the scene which carry a maximum sentence of 10 years imprisonment.

But, in addition to being drunk, she was also texting while driving, which places her off the irresponsible chart. It just doesn't go that high. 

Sharon J. Tillman, a spokeswoman for the Episcopal Church, said officials were aware Cook had been drinking before the accident and had been texting while driving, but police requested they withhold certain information.

Mosby alleged that Cook was texting, and that Palermo was in the bike lane when Cook's vehicle veered into his lane and struck him.

I can't say I'm surprised, but I had really hoped that she had not been drinking. Perhaps this will lead to stronger oversight of DUI offenders, but I doubt it. 

Update: Here's a full list of what Cook will be charged with

– Negligent manslaughter by vehicle (Max 10 years and/or $5,000 fine)
– Criminal negligent manslaughter by vehicle (Max 3 years and/or $5,000 fine)
– Negligently driving under the influence resulting in a homicide (Max 5 years and/or $5,000 fine)
– Negligent homicide involving an auto or boat while impaired (Max 3 years and/or $5,000 fine)
– Duty of driver to remain at the scene of an accident resulting in bodily injury
– Duty of driver to remain at an accident resulting in death
– Use of a text messaging device while driving causing an accident with death or serious bodily injury
– Driving under the influence of alcohol

According to Mosby, Both Palermo and Cook were traveling southbound on Roland Avenue when Cook, who was texting while driving at the time of the collision, veered off to the right and into the bike lane, striking Palermo from the rear which caused him to hit the hood and windshield of Cook’s 2001 Subaru before being thrown to the right hand side and then coming to a final rest against the west side curb.

Cook allegedly failed to remain at the scene of the accident, and continued south on Roland Avenue before returning roughly 30 minutes later but continuing past the scene to her home.

Cook then left her apartment shortly after her arrival and returned to the scene. She was then was transported from the scene to a local police station where she was given a breathalyzer test.

Baltimore woman pleads guilty in DUI crash that injured two cyclists in Annapolis

Sentencing will happen Dec 18th. 

Prosecutors said Colbert hit bicyclists Katie Pohler, 23, and Todd Green, 27, while she was driving on June 28 on Route 450 near Brice Lane in the Annapolis area. Officials said the victims were in the dedicated bike lane and that Colbert drifted into them.

Pohler and Green were flown to Shock Trauma in Baltimore, where Pohler underwent treatment for critical injuries. Green was treated and released, but Pohler is still recovering.

Officials said Colbert had a blood-alcohol level of 0.15 at the time, which is nearly double the legal limit. She had also been driving with a 3-year-old relative in the car, prosecutors said.

Frankly, she was lucky that her two victims were young and healthy. Some other cyclists might not have survived. In fact, if one of them later dies from complications due to their injuries, I suppose she could be charged with some form of homicide. 

She was orginially indicted on 11 charges

The woman has been indicted on 11 charges, including two counts of second-degree assault as well as driving while impaired by alcohol while transporting a minor.

But the plea is for only 2 of those charges - causing a life-threatening injury while under the influence of alcohol and driving under the influence of alcohol while transporting a minor

Details on Tonya Reaves Murder come out

The orginal story is here:

There's more here:

By her mother’s account, 53-year-old Tonya Reaves rode her bike everywhere, no matter the time of day. Donna Hill said her daughter used to pedal home when she got off late from her former job at Pizza Hut, and she would frequently bike to her boyfriend’s house or even just for fun.

Although witness accounts in court papers have shifted and are contradictory, two people said that the young woman studying to be a surgical nurse or nursing-home worker ran over Reaves slowly after striking her, inflicting gruesome and fatal injuries.

And about the investigation.

The investigation proved complicated, as witnesses’ stories to police shifted in the days that followed, court papers show.

When police arrived at Eighth and S streets NW, they found Reaves’s bicycle in a crosswalk and two apparent witnesses, one of whom claimed to have been on foot while observing a sport-utility vehicle hit Reaves, according to a police affidavit. Both people would later admit to being in the vehicle that hit Reaves and claim that Thomas was driving, although one first pointed to another person as the driver, according to the affidavit.

Investigators tracked down four people who claimed to be in the car during the crash, and all four alleged that Thomas was the driver, according to the affidavit. One person told investigators that the group had just left the New Town bar on U Street and that Thomas had been drinking, according to the affidavit.

But that account was backed up by only one person, who claimed that Thomas was drinking vodka and lemonade and smoking marijuana, according to the affidavit. The two others in the car said that Thomas was neither drinking nor smoking, according to the affidavit.

When police searched the car, a Ford Focus, that they believe was involved in the crash, they found a nearly empty bottle of vodka, according to the affidavit. Police said Thomas did not have a driver’s license.

It's hard to follow, but as I read it the idea is that Thomas hit Reaves by accident. But then intentionally drove forward over her, and that's why it's murder. I'm so lacking in confidence on that that I should possibly end that statement with a question mark . 

Good news: This guy was arrested.

More here.

Driver may be charged in post-bike crash altercation

Last week Evan Wilder was involved in a bike-car collision at slow speed. After the collision the driver threw his bike into the back of his truck. Then Wilder was ticketed for following too closely. But video from Wilder's bike-mounted camera shows that this was not the case. That he was passed too closely and that the driver merged in front of him without giving him enough room. Now the police are investigating the ticket, which may be waived and the incident, which may result in charges for the driver for destruction of private property.