Drunk Bicycle rider run amok

[pwd72s]

Angry bicyclists gang up on the wrong person
Posted by Maxine Bernstein, The Oregonian July 09, 2008 18:11PM
Categories: Breaking News, Cycling, Portland
The cultural clash between Portland bicyclists and motorists took a surreal turn Sunday night when a motorist involved in a confrontation with a cyclist turned out to be a longtime advocate for cycling.

Colin Yates, 47, was driving with his wife and two teenagers in his family's green Subaru Legacy when he saw a bicyclist pass him on the left and blow through a stoplight on Southeast 20th Avenue at Belmont Street. Yates continued driving north on 20th Avenue, through another intersection, until he caught up with the bicyclist.

Yates honked his horn, leaned out his window, and chided the bicyclist for making other cyclists look bad. Yates, a self-described bike advocate for more than 30 years, told the bicyclist that he was a responsible bike rider who gets upset when he sees fellow riders disobeying traffic signals.

Traffic continued to flow, and the cyclist and Yates both continued north on Southeast 20th, until they were stopped at a red light at Stark Street.

The bicyclist rode up to the driver's window. Yates described the man to police as "irritated and aggravated." The cyclist was cursing at Yates and yelled at him to get out of the car. "Let's go! You want to go?" the bicyclist shouted, challenging Yates to a fight.

By now, the bicyclist, Steven McAtee, 31, was off his wheels. Yates said McAtee picked up his bike and wielded it like a weapon, smashing it against the Subaru's hood and windshield.

Yates stepped from his car and told McAtee to back off.

McAtee turned on Yates. He lifted his bike above his shoulders and struck Yates with it, Yates said. Yates tried to use his hands to block the blows and then ducked back into his car and attempted to leave. But McAtee got in front of the Subaru and repeatedly struck the vehicle with his bike, Yates said.

Yates stepped from his car again and was struck five to seven more times with McAtee's bicycle, police reports say.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, a passer-by knocked McAtee to the ground with one punch.

And, as fast as McAtee hit the ground, nearly a dozen people -- many bicyclists who were riding by and noticed the commotion -- swarmed around Yates, shoving cell phone cameras about a foot from his face and accusing him of roughing up the bicyclist.

To make matters worse, a 9-1-1 call that came in at 10:10 p.m. was relayed to officers as: "Car hit bicycle, and people yelling."

Officers found a confusing scene when they arrived. About 25 to 30 people were gathered, and police described the atmosphere as hostile towards the motorist. Some witnesses were afraid to speak up for Yates.

One witness on a bicycle told police he didn't want to make a statement at the scene because of the "thugs and bad folks" here, according to the police report. He later talked to police by phone and gave an account that backed up Yates' story.

It turns out, police say bicyclist McAtee was both drunk and in the wrong. And he's a city employee. He works for Portland's transportation department as a building plan examiner.

McAtee was charged with third-degree assault, criminal mischief, driving under the influence of intoxicants and disorderly conduct. He could not be reached for comment Wednesday.

Police said Yates, who set out the next day on a move to Colorado, had an imprint of a bike chain on his left forearm and grease stains on his shoulder.

News of Sunday night's confrontation circulated quickly among officers and reached Officer Robert Pickett, the bureau's unofficial liaison between police and Portland's biking community.

"It's almost kind of quintessentially a Portland thing," Pickett said, after reading the police reports.

Pickett, who said he works to bridge the gap between motorists and cyclists, called the alleged assault and subsequent witness reaction unfortunate. "It's too bad there's an 'us vs. them' dynamic," Pickett said.

He asked that witnesses who approach such a scene call police but not rush to get involved.

"We ask them to be a good witness and not jump to conclusions."

-- Maxine Bernstein; 503-221-8212; maxinebernstein@news.oregonian.com

I tell ya, it's gotta be the spandex!

[sand_man]

...one Witness On A Bicycle Told Police He Didn't Want To Make A Statement At The Scene Because Of The "thugs And Bad Folks" Here

classic

[pwd72s]

This is the line I found interesting:

It turns out, police say bicyclist McAtee was both drunk and in the wrong. And he's a city employee. He works for Portland's transportation department as a building plan examiner.

A bureaucrat in one of the most liberal cities on the west coast...sheesh.

The hell's angels have nothing over the Portland Bicycle community...

[HardDrive]

If my family was in the car, and the cyclist acted in that manner, I would produce a gun and tell him to back off.

[Rikao4]

Had you been in Texas,
you could have shoot him multiple times,
and still make the movie.

Rika

[onewhippedpuppy]

I can think of no less threatening group than a bunch of skinny spandex clad bikers. The Portland "cycling community"? Is that some sort of gay gang? They have a police liason for the cycling community?! I'm so horribly confused, but I really don't think I want to visit Portland.

[Z-man]

Maybe I should reconsider my desire to get back into bicycling...

After all, tennis is much less of a contact sport....

-Z-man.

[Tobra]

3rd degree assault, WTF? How is that not assault with a deadly weapon, or felony assault?

The cyclist should do some prison time for that. Big mistake to get out of the car. I would have waited until the light changed, pulled forward, then backed over him.

[Jeff Higgins]

Militant cyclists are some of the biggest ass holes on the road. They disobey most traffic laws, refuse to get out of the way even when it would make no difference to them, damage cars whose drivers they feel have slighted them and then disappear into traffic, and on and on. They really do give the vast majority of responsible, courteous cyclists a bad name.

[Rot 911]

I concur Jeff. I ride a bicycle on the streets and try to be courteous. But we also have a bicycle club here in town. When they do their nightly/weekend ride they have a real "fuch you" attitude. Riding 3 or 4 abreast down streets with cars backed up for blocks.

[HardDrive]

Originally Posted by onewhippedpuppy

I can think of no less threatening group than a bunch of skinny spandex clad bikers. The Portland "cycling community"? Is that some sort of gay gang? They have a police liason for the cycling community?! I'm so horribly confused, but I really don't think I want to visit Portland.

Ummmmm.....this isn't Kansas?

Out here, biking culture is very large, and not all of it are athletes looking to train. There is a big segment of the biking population that are into the bike messenger/punk culture. Lots of single speed/fixie riders. Tattoos and nose rings are the order of the day. Their not all skinny guys either.

[rcecale]

Originally Posted by Jeff Higgins

Militant cyclists are some of the biggest ass holes on the road.

Obama as a child...******* militant!


Randy

[Rikao4]

3 or 4 abreast....with a fuch you attitude
well that's what cattleguards are for, should you want to discuss ( beat your bike on my car)
down here that falls under
he needed a shot your honor..
agreed..case dismissed.

Rika

[john70t]

Oh, I was on my bike the other day, comming back from a cocktail/superbowl party, and went through the light because there weren't any cars around.
-Then some guy in a car started yelling at me, and I told him to f'k off.
-Next thing you know, he started following me a couple blocks still yelling at me and swerving with his big car. I'm afraid because I can't get away, or protect myself from being run over.
-At the next light he's stuck in traffic and still yelling at me, so finally I've had enough of his verbal assault, and start yelling back. Mabye he'll go away. He gets out of the car to beat me up, and I have to use the only thing at hand to defend myself with, my bicycle transportation.
-Then I get hit from behind by another driver and that's the last thing I remember, your honor.

[RWebb]

"Suddenly, out of nowhere, a passer-by knocked McAtee to the ground with one punch."

- I swear it wasn't me! Been nice if it was another biker tho.

Too bad things are getting that violent in kindly ole' Portland -- BTW Paul, it is hardly one of the most liberal cities on the West Coast - I see you aren't getting out much.

I've been on both sides of this issue since I do ride my bike a lot but also used to drive my infirm mother around town, not to mention the even less ambulatory loads of plywood, 2x4's and etc.

One thing about being on a bike - you have no protection at all in a collision. That tends to make people REAL angry when a driver does something stupid.

[m21sniper]

It's for dealing with assclowns like the one in the article that God invented pepper spray.

If that jackass would've hit my porsche with his bike i swear to you all here and now i would have ran him over and taken my chances with a self-defense plea.

[Laneco]

Disgusting display of arrogance and stupidity. Had I been riding with him, I'd have slid a frame pump thru his front wheels at speed. Losers like this are what make it more dangerous for the rest of us to peacefully ride.

Asshat.

angela

[onewhippedpuppy]

Originally Posted by HardDrive

Ummmmm.....this isn't Kansas?

Out here, biking culture is very large, and not all of it are athletes looking to train. There is a big segment of the biking population that are into the bike messenger/punk culture. Lots of single speed/fixie riders. Tattoos and nose rings are the order of the day. Their not all skinny guys either.

Are things really that boring in WA? That's just really weird.

[berettafan]

I can hear the bikers now; "He wasn't one of us! Probably didn't even own any spandex and rode in the bike lane like some Huffy riding *******."

[RWebb]

you know, wrestlers wear spandex too -- you might want to be careful about where you shoot off your moth about it


I covered up the real sticker on my mtn. bike with a Huffy sticker - figured it might cut down on the thieves a little