The Chainlink

I was ambushed

Let's just say I found another reason to wear a helmet while riding.

I was about a mile from home (Irving Park Road & Sheridan Road in Chicago) when car A cut me off to make a right turn in front of me. She winged me with her car and, when I tried to catch my balance, my chain skipped the ring. The driver of the car is yelling at me to go (which I couldn't do since my chain was still messed up) and then the driver of car B, who didn't like the fact he was being delayed, hopped out of his car, came up from behind and sucker punched me in the head without saying a word. He then proceeded to continue punching me until he had me and my bike on the ground. (It's tough to fight back when you're still clipped in and wearing big ol' expedition weight mittens.) 

Anyways, a lot of people saw what was happening. The woman in the car behind hopped out of her car and got his license plate (thanks April!) and a fourth car took chase after the culprit and his group (there were 3 people with him) fled once they saw they had an audience. (But not before stealing one of my mittens.)

Long story short, Chicago Police came and were very nice but, because it was an out of state plate (no one knows what state) and because they couldn't find the car (which had, strangely, parked around the corner for a while before fleeing) they said there's not a lot they can do other than file a battery report. One of the officers did find my stolen mitten. Seems the perp decided to dump it in the road down the block since they didn't want to be caught with evidence.

I'm a bit stiff and my poor Hampsten is a bit scuffed, but fortunately damage doesn't look too severe. I haven't given my bike the once over yet (it's still covered in road grime from today's ride) and my kit is a bit grubby from the city street, but I'm taking it easy for the rest of the day and will deal with that stuff later. Guess it's good I had on so many layers.

But if you see a light colored car with the license plate VQL543 (CORRECTED), the guy's a real dirtbag. And wanted for battery.

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Adam Herstein on January 16, 2014 at 4:22pm

What the hell is wrong with people?

Glad you are okay though!

Permalink Reply by Charlie Short 2.9 on January 16, 2014 at 5:28pm

You can do a FOIA for CDOT cameras and OEMC cameras in the area at the time. It's been less than a week. The police are not so good at getting this info. At CDOT, we have a really good process for getting this stuff to people. Here's the link: http://www.cityofchicago.org/city/en/depts/cdot/supp_info/cdot_foia...

There's a person who will respond to your email and ask any clarifying questions to get you the camera angles you need. Consult a lawyer about using that footage, but you should be able to get it yourself. For OEMC, their process is similar.

I'm really sorry this happened to you. That's a tough stretch full of impatient drivers and this guy obviously needs to not be one of them (as in not be allowed to drive.)

Permalink Reply by Brian on January 16, 2014 at 8:35pm

Thanks! Very helpful.

Charlie Short 11.5 said:

You can do a FOIA for CDOT cameras and OEMC cameras in the area at the time. It's been less than a week. The police are not so good at getting this info. At CDOT, we have a really good process for getting this stuff to people. Here's the link: http://www.cityofchicago.org/city/en/depts/cdot/supp_info/cdot_foia...

There's a person who will respond to your email and ask any clarifying questions to get you the camera angles you need. Consult a lawyer about using that footage, but you should be able to get it yourself. For OEMC, their process is similar.

I'm really sorry this happened to you. That's a tough stretch full of impatient drivers and this guy obviously needs to not be one of them (as in not be allowed to drive.)

Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on January 17, 2014 at 1:40pm

FYI - CDOT tends to be more responsive than OEMC on this type of inquiry. CDOT gets a big thumbs up from me for being helpful on these requests.

Charlie Short 11.5 said:

You can do a FOIA for CDOT cameras and OEMC cameras in the area at the time. It's been less than a week. The police are not so good at getting this info. At CDOT, we have a really good process for getting this stuff to people. Here's the link: http://www.cityofchicago.org/city/en/depts/cdot/supp_info/cdot_foia...

There's a person who will respond to your email and ask any clarifying questions to get you the camera angles you need. Consult a lawyer about using that footage, but you should be able to get it yourself. For OEMC, their process is similar.

I'm really sorry this happened to you. That's a tough stretch full of impatient drivers and this guy obviously needs to not be one of them (as in not be allowed to drive.)

Permalink Reply by Brian on January 17, 2014 at 4:00pm

No red light camera nearby (I checked), but Police are canvassing for video.

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