Charlotte Velo

A cyclist fired 13 shots into a group outside a home in Rock Hill.  One 16 year old male was injured and taken to Piedmont Medical Center for treatment.   The cyclist got away on his bicycle.

Final UPDATE?:

The sentencing was today for the shooter, Charles Diez, who pleaded guilty to the charge of Assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill.

The judge gave him 120 days in jail, 30 months of probation and anger management class.  This is a big victory for Diez who should have received a minimum of 15 months in jail.

Admitted into evidence was a performance review from a former fire captain that stated that “Diez complained and often escalated arguments and was quick to anger.“  That evidence might have been offset by the particularly effeminate manner in which Diez spoke in court.

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A cyclist tried to rob a motorist at an apartment complex out near the “Weave” of North Tryon.   The complex is located right behind the Shell station.   It’s unclear if the cyclist wanted to hijack the car or take other valuables/groceries.

From the Observer:

Aug. 5 3:55 a.m. Armed Robbery From Person in North Tryon Division: The victim pulled into the parking lot of his apartment at 300 W. Arrowhead Rd. and noticed a hispanic male on a bicycle riding towards him. The suspect pulled out a knife and told him to get out of the car. The victim locked his doors, and the suspect left the scene without taking any items.

The Chrarlotte Metro division recorded 20 cases of bicycle theft this year through September. That’s over 2 bikes per month and more than double the amount of cases than last year over the same period (9).

I heard of 2 of them.  The most famous case being the full Record flagship Prince stolen during a bike shop break-in.  Another occurred in a CATS parking lot back in August.

I always use racks provided by establishments, even when I don’t like the location, as a matter of principle.  I like to see racks in use.  However, if things get worse, I’ll have to start using my best judgement when choosing places to lock up.

By the way, the New Bern station racks and lockers are probably getting the most use in town.

Looks like a driver in Bradenton, FL has a thing for driving into cyclists/motorists.   Just when SUV drivers couldn’t get a worse reputation, one of them spends a night running down two-wheelers; one motor cycle, one bicycle.

The fine for hitting a manatee with your boat is $600.  Before the fine was instituted, many Manatees were hit by boaters and rescued.  After the fine was instituted, the same amount of manatees were hit, but then left to die.  It turns out most boaters weren’t too quick to incriminate themselves; and they ran.   Now, when it comes to hitting a cyclist, there is no penalty.  Just tell the cop [or judge] “I didn’t see him”, and your off the hook.  So why run, unless your hit-and-runs were intentional, malicious and homicidal?

Would the citizens of Charlotte show outrage over this episode? Or would these incidents be chalked-up to coincidental accidents between large, loud tire SUVs and small, dark, nuisance, dishwasher-mobiles?

Here’s a link to the story:

http://www.bradenton.com/847/story/912125.html