nuclear_asshat: Chuck Ruffcorn: No. You'd expect the biker to stop. He saw them. Every other biker saw the two cops standing in the road. And like everybody that watched the video and saw the cops focus and move to intercept him - he knew they wanted him. He knew what he'd done was illegal - he knew they wanted to contact him about it for either a warning, ticket or arrest. He made no attempt to comply or even slow down. He saw the direction the officer was moving and also moved in that direction. Instead of stopping and getting off his bike he peddled harder and attempted to muscle his way through.

You are so full of shiat. The farking fat pig didn't even wave his arms or motion in any way. You claim he was riding away from pig officer, but pig officers own statement says he was sterred into him.

So you agree that the officer way lying with your own statement.


No. I claim it's obvious the cops wanted him. And it's obvious the biker did not comply - instead he peddled in the direction of the officer either to plow the officer over (assault) or plow pass him (resisting arrest).

mandyer: Hmm, I never really thought about a napoleon complex was just about height, maybe it is. I meant he's "making up" for some shortcoming. I know some fine humans who are cops, but most of them are on a power trip and just want to get away with pushing people around and free donuts.

nuclear_asshat: So you admit the officer lied? His own statement says the guy moved into him. You claim he moved away from him.

Which is it?

That's what I thought. You have no answer because there is no defense. The video and the statement from the officer don't match up at all. There is no attempt to motion for him to stop for any reason.

This farker is done.

I found his address from a website and mailed him a nice plastic piggie. You'll also be glad to know that he has several liens on his house as well.

nuclear_asshat: Chuck Ruffcorn: How about the part where the cop "locks on" the biker and, very deliberatly, goes from the middle of the road to the side where he ends up close enough to make contact with the biker.

So you admit the officer lied? His own statement says the guy moved into him. You claim he moved away from him.

Which is it?


How might it go in court?

Mr. Long, what was officer Oinky McPigshiat doing as you approached him?

Walking to the left.

And what did you do in response?

I steered to the left.

Chuck Ruffcorn: obvious

More like oblivious.

Just add Chuck Ruffcorn to your Ignore list. It will help you all relax.

moike: I have nothing to add that's not already been said, so here is a screencap of the front page of today's local paper.

Thanks so much for that.

/boner

Chuck Ruffcorn: How might it go in court?

Mr. Long, what was officer Oinky McPigshiat doing as you approached him?

Walking to the left.

And what did you do in response?

I steered to the left.

That's easy. Produce the officers statement and ask him why his statement is completely false.

That cop didn't wave or do anything. That fat fark is fired. He's sued, and he'll lose his shiatty little house.

You must be a cop. The blue shield is strong with you. Abandoning all reason to defend the undefendable.

As a biker myself -- I wish he tased that farker off his bike.
Critical Mass gives cyclists a bad name.
Its like Jesse Jackson, or Al Sharpton for African Americans, or...Bush for Republicans.

Chuck Ruffcorn: And what did you do in response?

I steered to the left. I veered to avoid him and his partner.

Chuck Ruffcorn: No. I claim it's obvious the cops wanted him

How is it obvious? I do not think making eye contact counts. A cop has the right to direct someone to stop or pull over. But just waking toward them does not cut it. And it certainly does not justify a forceful take down.

Weaver95: cycle23: The cop is 22.

I'm sure he'll do quite well in his new job keeping the coffee pot filled back at the station.

i dunno, coffee machines are prone to assault.

some moron
The thing that kills me the most about road bikers is that (at least where I live and work) they have no regard for traffic laws and in many cases their own safety. . . . It also pisses me off when a road biker comes shooting down the gutter at a stop light and jumps to the front of the line.

1) Bikers coasting through stop signs or lights with nobody coming is equivalent to drivers going 5 or 10 over on open roads -- a maneuver that speeds up ride/drive times, saves energy, and doesn't mess with someone. Of course a few (not the majority) of road bikers think they have license to do whatever. There are also arsehole drivers. Deal.

2) I'll stop riding by you when you're stopped (and it's safe) just as soon as you stop driving by me when I'm going. If there's enough room when we're both moving to save you a little time, there's certainly enough room when one of us is stopped to save me a little time (and often, a lot of energy).

MNguy:

Unless you do your job, and don't throw the case to the plaintiff, the guy will lose on appeal and, having spent all the money he won at trial, will owe EvilCorp -- whom you work for -- a lot of money. I've seen it happen working for the good guys.

You need to do your job; you need to do it well; you need to recommend offering a fair settlement if EvilCorp exposed him to asbestos. You need to hope that the plaintiff has a competent attorney and that you live in a state that hasn't effectively abolished torts.

Don't fark around with bullshiat science, because it won't work and it'll lose EvilCorp money at the appellate level. Don't fark around in discovery, which is what you're doing, because it'll get you Rule 11 sanctions and you'll be out 100K and won't be an attorney.

You work for the bad guy. But that doesn't mean you can't still do the right thing when you can. This is what being an attorney means, and you need to learn to live with yourself or get out. And I don't mean that judgmentally. Plenty of good people -- most good people -- can't deal with what that means and need to go out before they become crazy law drunks, which is where you may be headed.

-- ACS

From the statement. You'll notice he also lies about traffic.

^{"You are pawns in the game. I'm gonna have your job!"}

The most he could possibly charge him with is evading arrest (a misdeamonor) instead of an assault on an officer (felony 3rd degree)

This happened to me, a jury of my peers found me not guilty after the prosecution could not produce any evidence (hospital records) and evidence of complete bias (not giving me papers, towing my car even though it was legally parked, not calling the owner of the car) etc etc.

It was a grand waste of $7000. Too bad suicidal people don't target asshats like this

Sujer
"As a biker myself -- I wish he tased that farker off his bike.
Critical Mass gives cyclists a bad name."

Exactly the sentiment I'd expect from a cyclist. Aren't these clowns AWs first and foremost? Anyone care to defend critical mass? because I fail to see how it advances their supposed cause.

neilbradley:
And that's what I come up with in 3 seconds of viewing it with a skeptical eye. Believe me, I'm no apologist for the police, but I wouldn't be so quick to judge the situation without more context.

And in the absence of mitigating evidence we're left with the testimony of two parties - one of whom has shown himself to be a liar and a cad. I know which side of the story I believe.

Wait, I thought video cameras on the street were a gross violation of privacy and a terrible thing?

It must be Wednesday, I could never get the hang of Wednesdays.

nuclear_asshat: Chuck Ruffcorn: How might it go in court?

Mr. Long, what was officer Oinky McPigshiat doing as you approached him?

Walking to the left.

And what did you do in response?

I steered to the left.

That's easy. Produce the officers statement and ask him why his statement is completely false.

I don't think that's how it works. Regardless, his statement could hold up in court. The biker claiming he was trying to avoid the cop is admitting that he was aware the cop was attempting to block his path. Continuing to peddle in the direction of a cop in your path could come out to be assault.

That cop didn't wave or do anything. That fat fark is fired. He's sued, and he'll lose his shiatty little house.

If if makes you feel better - He's statement never mentioned him waving either. :P

You must be a cop. The blue shield is strong with you. Abandoning all reason to defend the undefendable.

Nope. I did find the clip entertaining. Would have laughed if a cop got knocked off his bike. I hate asshole cops who bully people, trump up charges and get away with it. I just don't think that's what happened here.

If I had only watched the video I might have thought, OK the cop saw some guy doing something wrong and he stopped him. Having heard the cops statement that he saw the cyclist doing something wrong, told the cyclist to stop and then the cyclist ran him down...all I can conclude is that the cop is a farking liar and should be fired.

Fired. Not just reprimanded, because he didn't just do something wrong, he also lied about it, so if you can't trust someone, they shouldn't be given a gun and a badge and authority to use them on citizens.

This is why I said that it should be illegal in ALL STATES to videotape a law enforcement agent on the job.

No, I don't think what the officer did was "ok", but his punishment has been set and it is stern given the situation. We don't know the full story either.

nuclear_asshat: From the statement. You'll notice he also lies about traffic.

The thing that really gets me is that most of the time there is nothing anyone can do. You have to plead guilty to a lesser crime to avoid the possibility of going to prison.

Now you have a criminal record that can seriously screw with your future. Plus, when you get pulled over and they check your record they see you assaulted an officer and come down harder on you.

The real dilemma
is that the only way to avoid bad cops from ruining the lives of innocents is to refuse to prosecute or convict just on the word of a cop.

But where does that lead us? The cops will only be able to arrest the rare few where there is a confirming witness.

That is why it is so important to nail bad cops whenever possible. It is the only way to maintain the public trust.

Chuck Ruffcorn: ... claiming he was trying to avoid the cop... Continuing to peddle in the direction of a cop in your path...

Oh, now I get it. By avoiding the cop he was heading directly towards him!

/it's coming right for me!

Burn98: But where does that lead us?

Cameras on cops.

The Southern Dandy:

Fired. Not just reprimanded, because he didn't just do something wrong, he also lied about it, so if you can't trust someone, they shouldn't be given a gun and a badge and authority to use them on citizens.

I don't think you go far enough. The cop should be prosecuted.

LordPistachio: Is my point getting across at all? I am not making a judgment because I do not have all the facts. I don't look at the video and see information that is not there.

LordPistachio: Weaver95: LordPistachio: The video shows the cop walking to the curb and the biker going between him and the curb. The biker may or may not have been moving in that direction before coming into view.

Try not to hit yourself in the head with a large rubber mallet so many times before watching that video. To me, and to any reasonable view, that video shows a cop charging into a biker and knocking him down.

But you go right ahead with your bad self and just keep on thinking that the cop didn't fark up.

Is my point getting across at all? I am not making a judgment because I do not have all the facts. I don't look at the video and see information that is not there.

My dad is a cop and I've always been pro police. I still am, after seeing this video. This doesn't matter because this particular cop is a total tool and needs to be taken off the street ASAP. Are you blind? He speeds up to check the guy off his bike. That's insane. Then he charges the guy for assaulting HIM. Talk about BS.

I'm one of the four. Who are the other three?

Burn98: Chuck Ruffcorn: No. I claim it's obvious the cops wanted him

How is it obvious? I do not think making eye contact counts. A cop has the right to direct someone to stop or pull over. But just waking toward them does not cut it. And it certainly does not justify a forceful take down.


He did not deliberately approach that specific biker? It was coincedence that he ended up within elbow range? Biker had been obeying all traffic laws and had no reason to expect to be stopped by the police? Peddling harder and plowing through is the thing to do when a cop blocks your path?

LordPistachio: It is actually quite possible that the cyclist did something off camera. I never understand why people think they can make a judgment about a whole situation based on a video that shows one angle for a few seconds. What is captured on video certainly doesn't look good, but it doesn't tell the whole story.

We don't have enough information to decide whether the cop was right or wrong.

/now back to your regularly scheduled cop-bashing thread.

The cop lied about what went down. He said the cyclist tried to run him over. The video VERY clearly shows otherwise. This is not something you can just write off as a one sided story. The cop lied in order to send someone to jail. I cannot believe anyone would defend him. He lied to steal someones rights. fark him.

Being a pedestrian in Toronto's downtown core, and an owner of a road bicycle, a motorcycle, and a gas guzzling sports car, I really don't understand where this rage towards bicycle riders is coming from. Most cyclists that I see around here obey the law and ride safely.

Sure, I do see one every once in a while run a red light, or roll through a stop sign, but most of them do it in a safe manner and do not pose any danger to anyone while doing so. No cyclist in their right mind would plow through a red into the middle of the intersection expecting all cars to just stop for them. As in the motorcycle community, cyclists know that you can't win an argument from under the wheels of a two ton vehicle, so believe me when I say that most of them just want to stay the hell out of your way.

If anything, it's the pedestrians around here that disobey traffic signals the most, but again it's done with caution and does not disrupt the flow of traffic much. Interesting, but I don't see anyone threatening to run them down.

So y'all just need to calm the fark down. Put down your big mac, get off your cell phone... no one want to hear about your boring day at the office anyway... and keep your eyes on the road. Learn to share it with everyone, because between the way your economy is tanking and oil prices skyrocketting, many of your overdebted broke asses will have no choice but to ride a bike in the near future anyway.

So y'all just need to calm the fark down. Put down your big mac, get off your cell phone... no one want to hear about your boring day at the office anyway... and keep your eyes on the road. Learn to share it with everyone, because between the way your economy is tanking and oil prices skyrocketting, many of your overdebted broke asses will have no choice but to ride a bike in the near future anyway.

THIS

Remember pcbjunkie you're dealing (mostly) with americans who loathe bicycles and adore automobiles. Anything foreign or different is a threat and must be eliminated!

ShawnDoc: Q


fight the man!

To the pig in the video - you are a worthless pile of crap.. so is the equally crooked pig with ya.

Chuck Ruffcorn: The biker claiming he was trying to avoid the cop is admitting that he was aware the cop was attempting to block his path.

I avoid trees on my bike, but I don't think they're deliberately getting in my way.

And for fark's sake, it's "pedalling", unless he's selling something (and sells it faster to go around the cop).

Yea I'm thinking something happened just prior to the incident that prompted the guy with the camera to get that shot, like maybe, I dunno, the bike rider acting like a douche to get his buddies' admiration?

/pig should be fired and charged with assault

What is worse than this guy being framed, is that he would most likely have gone to prison and he would have ahad a record for assaulting a police officer for the rest of his life. Basically, his life would have been ruined.

It is farking disgusting that there are policemen wandering the streets arbitrarily destroying people's lives.

Further, I've been stopped in my car by cops who are on foot, and they generally don't throw themselves into the side of the car - they stay just out of my path and raise one hand in a motion that practically every human being is familiar with.

serial_crusher
My bad, went with earlier assumptions without paying attention to the fact that this was a followup, not a duplicate. Yeah, the cop's an asshole.

Aw, now I feel bad for snarking :(

I'm generally pro-cop, but my cops might be better than others' (they're not usually armed, which makes them a bit more circumspect, I think).

I like to watch.

The police report had the bicyclist quoted as saying "You are pawns in the game. I'm gonna have your job!" This 22 year old has seen too many movies and needs to spend at least 5 years in federal prison. To serve and protect...

Chuck Ruffcorn: haydenarrrrgh: Chuck Ruffcorn: If the officers were approaching him, telling him to stop so they could arrest him and he did what he did - ignored their verbal commands and peddled faster (i.e. accelerate in the officers direction) I can see how that could easily be called "Attemped Assault" and "Resisting Arrest."

If that were the case you'd expect to see the cop signal in some way to the cyclist, i.e., holding up one hand in a "stop" kind of signal.

No. You'd expect the biker to stop. He saw them. Every other biker saw the two cops standing in the road. And like everybody that watched the video and saw the cops focus and move to intercept him - he knew they wanted him. He knew what he'd done was illegal - he knew they wanted to contact him about it for either a warning, ticket or arrest. He made no attempt to comply or even slow down. He saw the direction the officer was moving and also moved in that direction. Instead of stopping and getting off his bike he peddled harder and attempted to muscle his way through.

I'm pretty sure you're a troll because you'd have to be blind not to notice several bikes go by before Officer Friendly decided to move in the direction of the last rider and suddenly pushes him into the side of the road. No hand gestures, not motions to stop, nothing except when he bum rushes the guy into the curb.

pastorsteve: 1) Bikers coasting through stop signs or lights with nobody coming is equivalent to drivers going 5 or 10 over on open roads -- a maneuver that speeds up ride/drive times, saves energy, and doesn't mess with someone. Of course a few (not the majority) of road bikers think they have license to do whatever. There are also arsehole drivers. Deal.

So next time I roll through a stop sign / stop light in my car, that's okay?

Don't know what the laws are in your part of town, but over here, bicyclists have to stop for stop signs and red lights. Otherwise they are ticketable also (received a warning).

/the NYPD officer screwed up, lied about it and should have the full force of the law applied against him

WongFeiHong: The police report had the bicyclist quoted...

I think we've determined that there may be some problems with the police report.

Fart_Machine: I'm pretty sure you're a troll because you'd have to be blind not to notice several bikes go by before Officer Friendly decided to move in the direction of the last rider and suddenly pushes him into the side of the road. No hand gestures, not motions to stop, nothing except when he bum rushes the guy into the curb.


What? Well, how was I supposed to know they were even there if they weren't waving their hands?

If the guy broke the law he should have been stopped, fined and or arrested. The camera doesn't show it, but I don't doubt the guy had been blocking cars, impeding traffic and harassing motorists - after all that's kinda what critical mass is about. Your claim that he was "the last biker" suggests he was "corking" at the intersection (corkers end up last in line) which is illegal. He knew the cops where there and he saw that they were coming for him. He wasn't pedalling (thank you, haydenarrrrgh) like that because he wanted to hurry over to the officer to see what the problem was. Yes it was sudden, powerful, spectacular, and it was caught on camera, and everybody else is saying "fark the pigs," but turning off your brain and jumping on the bandwagon won't change the fact that this wasn't an example of excessive force on some random bystander and after the investigation and review it's likely the cop will go back to his beat and biker will have to pay his fines.

I love when cops lie, it makes me want to cook up some big ol' slices of bacon!