[Update: March 2 — Brazilian police have jailed the suspect while they conduct their investigation.]
The horror and grief caused by a motorist who plowed through a group of peaceful critical mass cyclists in Brazil is captured in this scene from a video posted on YouTube.
The moments that precede this are a sickening reminder of how some motorists become monsters in the presence of bicyclists. Here's a link to the video, but I'll warn you that it's very graphic.
The savagery committed in Porto Alegre on Friday night started with the monthly critical mass bike ride through the streets of this lakeside town in southern Brazil. The number of injured cyclists has swelled to 40, according to Associated Press reports. Police originally put the number at fewer than a dozen.
Self-defense
In court on Monday morning, the 47-year-old driver, Ricardo Neis, pleaded self-defense in the attack, saying that he and his 15-year-old son felt threatened and panicked after the bicyclists started beating on his car. The lead investigator in the case, Gilberto Montenegro, has called that version of events “faniciful” in a television interview, without going into details.
According to witnesses, the driver of the VW Golf was in back of a group of critical mass cyclists and nudged the rear wheel of one of them. Some cyclists tapped on the car windows and roof to suggest that he relax.
Instead, he accelerated down the middle of the street, knocking cyclists to the left and right. Some can be seen on hood of the car before sliding off.
Later, he abandoned his car and fled, leaving the cyclists and paramedics deal with the carnage he left behind. He communicated with police through his attorney before turning himself in over the weekend.
Witnesses
The Critical Mass website in Porto Alegre is asking that all witnesses come forward, as prosecutors are saying that the videos at the scene of the collisions don't show the events that may have caused the attack. Also, the Brazilian press appears to be siding with Neis, who apparently is an official with the Central Bank.
A mass rally will be held in the town on Tuesday to demand harsh punishment for the driver.
In San Francisco, the critical mass blog suggests dedicating the March critical mass ride to support the efforts of cyclists in Brazil to get justice.
Here's a link to an article in the Zero Hora newspaper.
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