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Jun 27, 2008 6:45 pm US/Central
Dallas Firefighter Accused Of 'Bicycle' Road Rage
TROPHY CLUB (CBS 11 / TXA 21) ―
A Dallas firefighter faces an assault charge for what police call an "unusual" road rage case. The firefighter is accused of attacking a driver - from his bicycle.
The incident started in Trophy Club when a driver pulled out in front of some cyclists and ended in Roanoke, with a driver allegedly being hit with a water bottle. Police say it's a case where both cyclist and motorist were battling over the same right-of-way.
"I didn't even hear him 'til I heard him say, 'You ran me off the road b_tch!" explained driver Lucy Morris. "That was the first time I saw him."
"She had a cigarette in one hand and a cell phone in the other hand and just very like 'I don't care' attitude," bicyclist John Chen told CBS 11 News.
Chen caught up with Morris at the intersection of Alyse Road and Ashley Lane, after he says Morris, literally, ran his buddy off the road. It was then that tempers flared.
"He just took his bottle sideways and 'bullet shot' it at me," Morris claims. "When he shot it I just pushed my head back… and I had a witness behind me that said I never ran him off the road."
Chen claims the water bottle incident happened after Morris treated him with callous disregard. "Well I said, 'You almost ran us over' and that's when she was like, 'I don't really care'. And I was like you could have killed us."
Ultimately Chen admits that the situation got a bit out of control. "It was unfortunate how it happened that way and ya know I shouldn't have done what I did," he said while going on to justify his actions. "But at the same time like I said I was trying to get her to stop."
Police say conflicts between cyclists and motorists are on the rise. Factors not only include the warm weather, but the fact that more people are using bikes due to high gas prices.
Police say everyone needs to be aware to both cyclists and motorists have rights to the road. "We encourage that everybody go by the road rules. Those traffic laws apply to the bicyclists just as well as they apply to the motorists," said Roanoke Police Sgt. Chris Almonrode.
Chen is charged with the misdemeanor of 'simple assault'. Officials with the Dallas Fire Department say they'll review the case to see if any disciplinary action is necessary.
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