Joshua Melvin
mercurynews.com
A driver who lost control of his Toyota Prius while shooting a cellphone video of motorcycle riders on Highway 101 Sunday in Belmont was beaten and threatened after he slammed into them, injuring two riders.
According to California Highway Patrol Officer Art Montiel, the collision happened around 8:08 a.m. near the Ralston Avenue exit as the driver and motorcyclists headed north. The driver, who remains unidentified, swerved into the center divider while recording and then hit one rider. The car then bounced back across two lanes and hit another.
After the crash some of the angry riders hit the Prius driver in the head and threatened him with a knife, Montiel said. No riders were arrested and the assault is still under investigation. The Prius driver was cited on suspicion of driving while distracted but was not arrested.
Both bikers and the videotaping motorist were taken to a hospital with minor injuries. Montiel said all three were expected to be released Sunday.
Some of the bikers at the scene of the crash were Hells Angels, Montiel said. The injured riders, however, were members of a different club, and the name was not immediately available.
Montiel said it was not clear why the driver was taking the cellphone video. He did not have any further details about the people involved in the collision.
Anyone with information about the crash and assault can call the California Highway Patrol at
650-369-6261.
San Jose man was driver in crash-and-clash with bikers on Peninsula freeway..
A San Jose man was the driver who crashed into a group of motorcyclists on a Peninsula freeway while trying to record cellphone footage of them and then was pummelled by other bikers in apparent retaliation, authorities said.
While the driver was identified by the California Highway Patrol as a 19-year-old man from San Jose, his name has not been released out of concerns for his safety, said Officer Art Montiel.Some of the riders were part of the Hells Angels, though they were not among the injured, Montiel said, adding that another motorcycle club, the Original Kings, was traveling with the group.
According to the CHP, the San Jose man was driving a Toyota Prius on northbound Highway 101 near Ralston Avenue in Belmont around 8:10 a.m. Sunday, and was using his cell phone to record video of a group of at least 20 motorcycles traveling two lanes over in the fast lane.
The driver didn't notice that traffic slowed and swerved to avoid hitting the vehicles ahead of him, but in doing so he struck a Harley-Davidson, then bounced off the center divider and hit another motorcyclist. Two other riders lost control of their motorcycles while trying to avoid the crash developing in front of them.
When the Prius driver got out of his car, now stopped in a center lane, witnesses said the motorcyclists who did not crash assaulted him, punching him in the head and at one point threatening him with a knife, the CHP said.
By the time officers arrived, the attack was over, some of the riders had left, and it was impossible for the driver to identify his attackers because they wore their helmets the entire time, Montiel said. The driver was the only person given a citation at the scene, for distracted driving.
The most severely injured motorcyclist, a 43-year-old San Bruno man, was taken to the hospital for broken ribs and a collapsed lung but is expected to survive, Montiel said. Another motorcyclist who reportedly broke his leg was taken away from the scene in a private vehicle, Montiel said, and it was unclear whether he sought medical treatment.
Two motorcyclists were hospitalized for minor abrasions and the Prius driver was taken to the hospital for complaints of pain and was treated and released.
Why the driver was recording video of the bikers remains unclear.
Anyone with information about the crash and assault can call the California Highway Patrol at
650-369-6261.
