Two cyclists have been seriously injured in the East Bay, CA after they were targeted and doored by drivers while riding. These assaults appear to be happening to multiple cyclists over the course of several days, suggesting they are not isolated attacks.
At least 14 cyclists have been targeted and eight have been hit, according to the cycling advocacy group East Bay Bike Party.
“Some of the people said that they were being intentionally rammed from behind to be knocked over,” Charlotte Hryse, a volunteer with East Bay Bike Party said in an interview with ABC7 News.
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One of the attacks caught on video
One of the perpetrators was caught on video by a local cyclist. In the incident caught on the riders bike cam, the vehicle is seen moving at driving speed when the driver swerves up next to a cyclist riding in a bike lane. The passenger in the vehicle then flings the passenger side door open in an attempt to hit the cyclist.
Cyclists seriously injured
One cyclist, Ellie Mead, was attacked around 8 p.m last Saturday when a passenger doored her as she rode on Shafter Avenue in Oakland, CA.
“I have eight stitches and this big gash in my forehead," Mead told KTVU news. "There was this gray sedan. A passenger on the passenger side opened the door and slowed down the car. My bike rammed right into it. I fell to the ground. They drove away. As they drove away they were laughing,” she said.
One of the vehicles used in attack identified
According to reports, the suspected vehicle is being described as a gray Hyundai Elantra Sedan bearing a California license plate 8EDX27. As comments poured in on social media about the incident caught on video, several other cyclists claimed to have been targeted by the same vehicle around the time Mead was assaulted. One commenter claims the vehicle had been reported stolen by the driver.
Attacks were not isolated incidents
Reports of at least two other vehicles being used in similar assaults have been reported. East Bay Bike Party stated they believe three separate and possibly stolen cars are being used in these attacks. The vehicles are being described as Hyundais or Kias.
“Make no mistake—these were violent, targeted attacks with cars used as literal weapons. Last night was another frightening reminder that local governments must take immediate action to make the streets safe for everyone,” East Bay Bike Party said in a statement. “We’ll do everything we can to support [the victims] as they recover from the physical and emotional trauma inflicted on them…Let’s turn the anger and sadness we’re feeling right now into a force for change so we can make sure this never happens again.”
Natascha Grief got her first bike shop job before she was old enough to drink. After a six-year stint as a mechanic, earning a couple pro-mechanic certifications and her USA Cycling Race Mechanics license, she became obsessed with framebuilding and decided she wanted to do that next. After Albert Eistentraut literally shooed her off his doorstep, admonishing that if she pursued framebuilding she will be poor forever, she landed an apprenticeship with framebuilder Brent Steelman in her hometown of Redwood City, CA. After that, she spent several years working for both large and not-so-large cycling brands. Somewhere in there she also became a certified bike fitter. Natascha then became a certified personal trainer and spent nine years honing her skills as a trainer and coach, while also teaching Spin. During the dumpster fire that was the year 2020, she opened a fitness studio and began contributing regularly to Runner’s World and Bicycling as a freelance writer. In 2022, she joined the staff of Bicycling as News Editor.
