Motorcycle Rampage

[Sean]

Yes CP, some... meaning more than one.

And no, this kind of reaction from Jarl does not surprise me... although that doesn't mean I can't express my disagreement with it. Neither of Eco's posts seemed sarcastic to me... he is the only one who can clarify that for us.

I'd also really like you to point me towards my "tirade" calling you "all insensitive jerks" as I must've posted that in a black out or something...

[Econoline]

I think we need to add this smiley to the collection:

And seriously, I would imagine that if I were in the same position as the guy in the Range Rover (surrounded by a large angry motorcycle gang who were obviously armed with knives--at LEAST--since they were slashing his tires) I might have done the same thing. Especially if I had my family in the car with me.

You don't form a mob and start beating up on a guy armed with a deadly weapon (a car can be a VERY deadly weapon) and expect no consequences to occur.

[Sean]

So when you posted, " "Crippled for life" works for me", you were being sarcastic Eco? No worries, thanks for clearing that up.

But I have yet to read in any report that they slashed his tyres or beat him up in any way before he sped off... All reports I have found agree that they surrounded the vehicle and slowed him down at which point he put his foot down. The video seems to support this too as it appears that the bikers were mounted and in motion when he floored it.

[liberty]

So when you posted, " "Crippled for life" works for me", you were being sarcastic Eco? No worries, thanks for clearing that up.

But I have yet to read in any report that they slashed his tyres or beat him up in any way before he sped off... All reports I have found agree that they surrounded the vehicle and slowed him down at which point he put his foot down. The video seems to support this too as it appears that the bikers were mounted and in motion when he floored it.

This is not what I read, but it doesn’t matter the very act of attempting to capture his vehicle is enough to for him believe he and his family were in danger. I see very little difference between this and one’s home that is broken into in the middle of the night while the family is at home.

Are you implying that Leins actions were unjustified? The bikers were clearly in the wrong bear the responsibility for what happened.

[Econoline]

But I have yet to read in any report that they slashed his tyres or beat him up in any way before he sped off... All reports I have found agree that they surrounded the vehicle and slowed him down at which point he put his foot down.

I was going by the article quoted in the OP:

[...] started the confrontation by swerving in front of Lien's vehicle and slamming on his brakes, causing Lien, who had his wife and child with him in the car, to nudge his back tire. That bump precipitated the real deterioration of the interaction.

Police claim that, after Lien pulled over following the fender bender, the motorcyclists began to damage his car, smashing it with their fists and helmets and slashing the tires, according to the New York Daily News. To escape, Lien slammed on his gas pedal, running over at least three motorcycles and a man [...]

[Sean]

Bloody hell... I'm not implying anything! Maybe if I state my point a little more vociferously it'll sink in...

IMO anybody who believes that this biker deserved paralysis or death over this whole affair needs to hang their head in shame and have their status as a human being reconsidered!

Clear enough now?

[Econoline]

Okay, I'll be clear, too: The way this incident developed it was almost inevitable that someone was going to wind up dead or badly injured, and the driver had every reason to fear that that someone would be him and/or his wife and/or his child.

Given that premise, yes, I'm glad it was one of the bikers rather than the motorist or his family.

[Sean]

I see... So you weren't being sarcastic then. Fair enough.

[Econoline]

Arrgh. No, I don't think anyone deserved to die. I didn't say that and I'm not sure why you think I did. But unlike what I said, awkwardly, in my (yes, sarcastic: I'll remind you that it was in the context of Jarl's disappointment that no one was shot and no one died...and I would have thought that the part about being "just an old liberal softie" would have given that away--that and the emoticon) earlier post, what I said, clearly, just now was that one of two predictable, inevitable outcomes happened, and that the one that did happen was by far the less-awful of the two possibilities.

[liberty]

Bloody hell... I'm not implying anything! Maybe if I state my point a little more vociferously it'll sink in...

IMO anybody who believes that this biker deserved paralysis or death over this whole affair needs to hang their head in shame and have their status as a human being reconsidered!

Clear enough now?

I think it is a shame, the guy might be paralyzed, assuming that he is not a thug, it is a heavy price to pay for stupidity; most of us have done stupid things in our youth but were lucky enough to escape unharmed. However, I have to agree with Econ if someone had to be hurt it was better for it to be one of the bikers than the driver and his family. They were doing nothing but minding their own business. If the bikers had left them alone no one would have gotten hurt.

[Sean]

I hope you'll forgive me Eco if I take your 'sarcasm' explanation with a pinch of salt. The post in question simply didn't read that way and your explanation feels a bit laboured. I certainly have no intent of falling out with you over such a trivial disagreement but I am usually pretty good at spotting sarcasm (being a Brit doncherknow) and even better at calculating BPS (Backpedals Per Second).

Call me an old cynic but there you go...

[Crackpot]

[dgs49]

Lawyer: NYPD officer didn't see driver attacked
| October 7, 2013 |


The Range Rover involved in the bikers attack is being moved from the police precinct for further police investigation Saturday, Oct. 5, 2013 in New York. Last weekend, dozens of bikers stopped the Range Rover SUV on a highway, attacked the vehicle, then chased the driver and pulled him from the car after he plowed over a motorcyclist while trying to escape, police said. The driver, Alexian Lien, needed stitches after being pummeled by the bikers. The motorcyclist who was crushed by the SUV, Edwin Mieses Jr., of Lawrence, Massachusetts, suffered a broken spine and two broken legs and may never walk again, his family said. Robert Sims, 35, of Brooklyn, was arrested on charges of gang assault and weapons possession. Police said he took part in the attack on Lien

The Range Rover involved in the bikers attack is being moved from the police precinct for further police investigation Saturday, Oct. 5, 2013 in New York. Last weekend, dozens of bikers stopped the Range Rover SUV on a highway, attacked the vehicle, then chased the driver and pulled him from the car after he plowed over a motorcyclist while trying to escape, police said. The driver, Alexian Lien, needed stitches after being pummeled by the bikers. The motorcyclist who was crushed by the SUV, Edwin Mieses Jr., of Lawrence, Massachusetts, suffered a broken spine and two broken legs and may never walk again, his family said. Robert Sims, 35, of Brooklyn, was arrested on charges of gang assault and weapons possession. Police said he took part in the attack on Lien


NEW YORK (AP) — A lawyer with the New York City detectives' union says an undercover officer present at a motorcycle rally that turned bloody did not witness the attack on an SUV driver.

Attorney Phil Karasyk (KEHR'-uh-sehk) says the detective was off duty when he joined the Sept. 29 rally.

He rode up Manhattan's West Side Highway after the SUV struck a biker. He followed the other bikers because he thought there had been a hit-and-run.

Karasyk says the detective later saw motorcyclists attacking the SUV. But he did not see the driver, Alexian Lien (LEE'-ehn), pulled from the vehicle.

The detective did not come forward to disclose his presence at the scene for three days. Department officials are looking into the delay.
.