Six cyclists were rushed to hospital in a critical condition and a driver shot by police after he ploughed into the Bike the Bluff road race in Arizona yesterday morning. One rider was airlifted to hospital, while the driver is also in a critical but stable condition having been shot by police after failing to stop.
The incident happened at around 7.25am (3.25pm UK time) in the city of Show Low during a state road race raising funds for a local school. The driver of a black Ford F-150 pick-up truck reportedly veered across several lanes on Highway 60, crashing into competitors before fleeing the scene.
Show Low Police Department confirmed the suspect, a 35-year-old man, had been shot about a mile away after officers attempted to apprehend him.
Six riders were taken to a nearby hospital, four in a critical condition and two are critical but stable. Three other riders were treated for minor injuries.
Witnesses report seeing helmets, shoes and broken bikes strewn across the street, while disturbing pictures from the scene show a wheel stuck in the grill of the truck.
Officials say 270 riders were competing in the various categories of the 58-mile race which started at 6.45am, however there has not yet been any word on the ages of the victims. Police said they were investigating alongside the Navajo County Sheriff's Office and the Arizona Department of Public Safety.
Tony Quinones was competing when he witnessed the driver move across three lanes towards the riders. "I don’t know who the heck this guy is, or what his motive was," Quinones told The New York Times. "But he intentionally did not go left into a parking lot. He drove his truck directly and intentionally into our group, and you could hear him accelerate until he hit that telephone pole."
Fellow riders then reportedly ran up to the vehicle and were shouting for the suspect to get out before he instead sped off.
The suspect was pursued by police and shot a short time later behind an ACE Hardware in the city, several streets west of the crash site. His badly-damaged truck was photographed with a bullet hole in the driver's side window.
A spokesperson for Show Low Police Department said: "Thank you to all first responders who supported during this shocking incident. Also, thank you to all citizens who have generously offered their assistance. We know everyone is looking for more details on today's incident. Rest assured, we will share information as quickly as available. Please keep all the victims in your prayers."
Try WH Smith. Although not all branches are open on Sundays.
Ultegra quick-release cranks? Lancs police saving thousands by avoiding unnecessary prosecution of offenses? Can't see grounds for complaint?
...he doesn't want to do it on his own time
Indeed, more space than to be given to a cyclist. Not diving into a muddy verge earned me the threat of assault and being declared a f*cking idiot.
I think we have a lot in common with equestrians - like our lives on country roads are made difficult and dangerous by drivers being the main one....
This seems to be my theme ATM but I think almost every infra / legal story here could be ended with the following and have the majority of the...
Firstly, I'm sorry to hear about your nan and I agree that culturally we, in the UK, probably don't engage with healthcare as much as we should....
It sure is!
If this happened to my wife or mother I would make it my personal mission in life to find and torture this person until he accidentally died.
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