You are hereBikes in the news over the past 24 hours.
Bikes in the news over the past 24 hours.
Wow, there's been a lot of bike-related news going on recently. First up, KVUE ran a story relating to the hit-and-run on a pedicab that occurred last weekend:
On Monday I posted a request for witnesses to the collision, and thanks to that several readers have identified themselves or friends as being there when the accident occurred, and have stepped forward to offer their stories to the victims of this hit-and-run. Thanks, y'all.
Later that day KVUE also featured a story about the APD identifying and charging a suspect in last spring's pellet gun attacks that injured a cyclist on Southwest Parkway last May. The suspect is 18-year old Hollan Dyer, who was identified by two other teens who were in the car with him at the time of the attack. The cops haven't arrested Hollan yet, but hopefully they'll do so at the nearest opportunity.
Last night Fox "News" mentioned the upcoming Nueces bike boulevard in their evening news report:
The project, which is supposed to be implemented in the spring, will modify Nueces Street from MLK down to 3rd street to make it a bicycle-prioritized thoroughfare, at a cost of ~$350k.
From our friends in the print media, The Austin-American Statesman also ran a story this morning regarding the planned "bicycle boulevard". Though the program is still in the planning and design stages, mention has been made of the possible installation of traffic bollards to block car traffic, as well as the removal of north-south stop signs to facilitate faster cycling through the area.
Lots of exciting things happening around town. I'm glad the media is there to get the word out to everyone that my site (or the other bike-centric sites around town) doesn't reach, and from the sound of things all the above stories were rather balanced and non-partisan. I dig it.
Considering the real possibility that the cyclist could have died, this clown Hollan Dyer needs to be charged for attempted murder with hate crime penalty. The other two accomplices need to be charged as well.
Seems a stretch. I guess it's possible, but it's possible to die from being punched too.
And I don't think there's any precedent for crimes against cyclists to be charged as hate crimes.
And third, if the people with him didn't know what he was about to do, they're not accomplices. And the Fifth Amendment should prevent them from having to turn him in once he did it.
I'd say the police are doing pretty good in what they did do -- certainly, it's more than they did when I got shot (with a paintball gun), though it seems they can't find the guy ...
My money says that the driver purposely sought, pursued, and slowed behind the cyclist so his friend could shoot said cyclist. Wouldn't doubt they tried many previous/subsequent occasions and failed as it would be a difficult shot given the geometries and closing speeds.
Will be interesting to see how the little felons explain the time lag between their report (confession) and the incident.
CHAPTER 15. PREPARATORY OFFENSES
Sec. 15.01. CRIMINAL ATTEMPT. (a) A person commits an offense if, with specific intent to commit an offense, he does an act amounting to more than mere preparation that tends but fails to effect the commission of the offense intended.
(b) If a person attempts an offense that may be aggravated, his conduct constitutes an attempt to commit the aggravated offense if an element that aggravates the offense accompanies the attempt.
(c) It is no defense to prosecution for criminal attempt that the offense attempted was actually committed.
(d) An offense under this section is one category lower than the offense attempted, and if the offense attempted is a state jail felony, the offense is a Class A misdemeanor.
Sec. 19.02. MURDER. (a) In this section:
(1) "Adequate cause" means cause that would commonly produce a degree of anger, rage, resentment, or terror in a person of ordinary temper, sufficient to render the mind incapable of cool reflection.
(2) "Sudden passion" means passion directly caused by and arising out of provocation by the individual killed or another acting with the person killed which passion arises at the time of the offense and is not solely the result of former provocation.
(b) A person commits an offense if he:
(1) intentionally or knowingly causes the death of an individual;
(2) intends to cause serious bodily injury and commits an act clearly dangerous to human life that causes the death of an individual; or
Sec. 7.02. CRIMINAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR CONDUCT OF ANOTHER. (a) A person is criminally responsible for an offense committed by the conduct of another if:
(1) acting with the kind of culpability required for the offense, he causes or aids an innocent or nonresponsible person to engage in conduct prohibited by the definition of the offense;
(2) acting with intent to promote or assist the commission of the offense, he solicits, encourages, directs, aids, or attempts to aid the other person to commit the offense; or
(3) having a legal duty to prevent commission of the offense and acting with intent to promote or assist its commission, he fails to make a reasonable effort to prevent commission of the offense.
(b) If, in the attempt to carry out a conspiracy to commit one felony, another felony is committed by one of the conspirators, all conspirators are guilty of the felony actually committed, though having no intent to commit it, if the offense was committed in furtherance of the unlawful purpose and was one that should have been anticipated as a result of the carrying out of the conspiracy.
http://www.facebook.com/hollan1
At least that would seem to be him -- right name, Austin High, etc.