[Racerbvd]

We had something happen here as well..

This is the group I use to ride with and know the area very well....

Man Charged In Stabbing Of Bicyclists25-Year-Old Faces 3 Counts Of Battery, Ordered Held On $205,009 Bond

POSTED: Tuesday, June 1, 2010
UPDATED: 6:44 pm EDT June 1, 2010



Matt Salmons appears in court Tuesday morning on two counts of aggravated battery and one count of simple battery.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- A 25-year-old man is facing two counts of aggravated battery after an altercation with several bicyclists participating in a Memorial Day ride that ended with two riders in the hospital with stab wounds.

According to the arrest report, the incident began when the side-view mirror of Matt Salmons pickup truck struck one of the riders as a group pulled into the Kent Campus of Florida State College at Jacksonville just before 11 a.m. Monday.

Video: 25-Year-Old Held On $200K Bond
One of the riders completing a 60-mile ride told police he yelled at the vehicle to slow down.

"There was a slight altercation on the road," fellow rider Robert Brown said. "The guy followed the lead group back into the parking lot ... and words were exchanged."

Evidence technicians document the scene where two bicyclists were stabbed Monday morning in a fight with a motorist.

Witnesses told police that Salmons pulled his pickup in front of the rider and began an argument that escalated to pushing.

Police said after rider John Faulk stepped in and punched Salmons in the face, Faulk said he felt a sharp pain and realized he'd been stabbed.

Faulk was stabbed once in the stomach and five times in the back. He and a second rider who was cut on both arms were transported to Shands-Jacksonville Medical Center, where Faulk was listed in serious condition by the end of the day.

John Faulk

"The guy that guy sliced on the arm, he's in there trying to break it up, (saying) 'Don't do this. Back off,'" Brown told Channel 4.

Police said Salmons got back into his pickup and sped off after the attack. Witnesses said they gave police a description of the vehicle and its license plate number and he was stopped about a mile away and taken into custody.

According to the arrest report, Salmons told police he followed the cyclists into the parking lot "to check on them, but got into an argument with several people. The report says he told officers that after he was punched in the face, "I got my pocket knife and went to town."

Salmons also suffered minor injuries in the fight. He was treated at Shands before transported to jail.

Salmons appeared before a judge Tuesday morning on the two felony battery counts and a third charge of simple battery, a misdemeanor. He was ordered held on $205,009 bond pending an arraignment on June 23.


The victims were among at least 130 riders taking part in the North Florida Bike Club's annual Memorial Day ride that began and ended at the FSCJ on Roosevelt Boulevard.

The man who organized the ride told Channel 4 that aggressive motorists are an all-too-common problem for bicyclists.

"I'm just glad he didn't have a gun," Brown said of the attacker. "He could have done a lot more damage."