Police chase in Crystal City last night

Our Community › Forums › General Discussion › Police chase in Crystal City last night

  • Creator
    Topic
  • July 13, 2013 at 1:09 pm #913746
    PotomacCyclist
    Participant

    http://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/Police-Chase-Ends-in-Arlington-With-Several-Accidents-215326731.html

    http://www.arlnow.com/2013/07/12/police-chase-ends-in-crystal-city-wreck/

    Park Police tried to pull over the driver of a Dodge for a traffic stop in downtown D.C. on Thursday. The driver drove off across the 14th St. Bridge and police lost him. They saw him again on Friday night and tried to pull him over again. He drove off into Arlington, setting off a chase that ended with multiple accidents and a big crash at the Exxon in Crystal City on 23rd St. Two of the suspects were arrested. The third apparently sneaked off into a nearby parking garage, according to witnesses.

    Police searched the area on foot and with the aid of a helicopter.

    I didn’t see any of the action myself, though I saw the helicopter circling overhead. I did ride a CaBi bike last night. As I rode down Bell St. between 18th and 20th St. (a one-block section that ends in a T intersection) on the largely empty street, I heard a car speeding up behind me. That block isn’t very long and it isn’t a through street, so I wondered if the guy were trying to run me down for some reason. I hadn’t cut anyone off or encountered any drivers at all in the previous block. I looked back, partly to signal to the guy that I was there in front of him. The CaBi bike has blinking front and rear lights already, plus my T-shirt was a bright white color. As I neared the end of the short street, the guy rolled down his windows and simply started screaming at me, “you want to say something to me, f***er! You want to say something to me, f***er!” over and over again. I didn’t really know how to respond at first. Then I said that he was running right up toward me. (I hadn’t made any sort of gesture of any kind. Nor had I said anything until he started yelling at me. I hadn’t done anything to provoke him, other than to look behind me as he was speeding right into me. It’s obvious when someone is gunning a car engine.) He shouted that I needed to get out of the road. Huh?

    I turned to the left onto 20th St. I saw him turn right. I was going to say that I had every right to be on the road, but I was already too far away for him to hear. I didn’t feel like riding back and engaging him in conversation since he was clearly going through a roid rage and/or road rage. You never know if someone like that is packing heat, or will just use his car as a weapon for a second time. The car was a white SUV, I think. In the brief glimpse I had, it appeared to be in decent shape and the guy looked like a suburban weekend warrior type. (Some of them do roids. I had a former white-collar boss like that.) Possibly Maryland plates although I’m not sure of that.

    I have no idea if he was just passing through the area or if he lives or works there. If the latter, I think some local businesses and communities need to inform people that bikes are allowed on the street, especially on low-speed local roads like that section of Bell St. Although there are a lot of aggressive, law-breaking drivers in the D.C. area, I’ve never quite experienced anything like that guy. (I’ve read about other incidents on local forums and blogs.)

    A lot of madness last night in Crystal City for some reason. But I don’t think it had anything to do with the Boy Scout convention that appeared to be going on. (I saw about 40 or 50 Scouts with their parents/chaperones walking around the area last night.)

    Note: After I docked the bike nearby, I walked past a police officer sitting in her police car. (I didn’t realize there was a manhunt going on at the time.) I calmly explained to her what had just happened, while also admitting that there wasn’t really anything she could do, since I didn’t get the license plate number. I just needed to tell someone about the incident at that moment.

  • Creator
    Topic
Viewing 11 replies - 1 through 11 (of 11 total)
  • Author
    Replies
  • July 13, 2013 at 1:24 pm #975312
    jrenaut
    Participant

    Was it a full moon last night?

    Glad your incident wasn’t worse.

    July 13, 2013 at 3:14 pm #975314
    KLizotte
    Participant

    It is truly astounding how many people are completely unaware that cyclists are allowed on roads. Hit head against wall.

    Glad you kept your cool and let the crazy driver go. There was no way you were going to reason with the guy and he sounds like he was just looking for a reason for a fight.

    I thought the police had a no chase policy in order to prevent these types of accidents. I hope the bystander recovers fully.

    July 13, 2013 at 3:47 pm #975315
    bobco85
    Participant

    I’m glad you’re okay and that things didn’t escalate any further. This is all about that driver and the issues he was obviously having at the time. We have no idea what was going on in his mind, but at that time he was not thinking clearly.

    Having had a somewhat similar incident with a drunk driver, I can definitely say you did the right thing by not pressing things any farther and by telling the police. It can feel quite disturbing after such an incident especially since there was no resolution, i.e., the guy got away with it, but I hope you feel better knowing you did the most prudent thing which was to avoid the conflict in such a lopsided fight (driver + tons of steel + possibly a weapon + rage/drugs/alcohol vs. cyclist usually ends with the cyclist in the hospital).

    July 14, 2013 at 12:55 am #975325
    PotomacCyclist
    Participant

    @KLizotte 57751 wrote:

    It is truly astounding how many people are completely unaware that cyclists are allowed on roads. Hit head against wall.

    I’ve read about driver’s education courses and tests starting to cover basic laws re cyclists on roads and safety around pedestrians and cyclists. But even if that is a part of current tests, it won’t cover people who received their license in previous years.

    I think it might be useful for large employers (like DOD) to include info about the rights of all road users as part of their commuter programs. That can cover a lot of adult drivers. But that may not cover smaller defense contractors. For some reason, that was the first thing that popped into my head, that this guy works for a defense contractor. I don’t know why. Maybe the combination of the new-looking car, the directness of his approach, his crew cut or short haircut and the fact that there are a lot of defense contractors in Crystal City and Arlington in general.

    July 15, 2013 at 1:14 pm #975362
    dasgeh
    Participant

    @PotomacCyclist 57764 wrote:

    I think it might be useful for large employers (like DOD) to include info about the rights of all road users as part of their commuter programs.

    This is a great idea, and potentially could be scaled to the entire federal government (basically get one agency to make the materials, and the others just need to distribute – should be an easy ask). The end of my commute every day is one two roads where 95% of all drivers either work for the State Dept or my agency (FRB). It amazes me how bad some of the drivers (and to be fair, cyclists) are when they’re so close to work. A couple times a week I get cut off (when I’m on a bike, going downhill, so pretty fast) by someone I know from work. Then they see me and smile and wave. They have to just not know they were in the wrong.

    Of course, as I was walking in the building today, 2 cyclists decided waiting in a line of cars (travelling basically their speed) was too much, so they both salmoned. The second didn’t even break or swerve so that I could cross legally in the crosswalk (he had plenty of time, this wasn’t a last minute, emergency maneuver). I don’t know them, but I’m in Legal – eventually, we work with everyone (or so it seems).

    [/RANT]

    July 15, 2013 at 3:08 pm #975387
    txgoonie
    Participant

    When I take the on-street route to work between N. Alexandria and Crystal City, it’s a little more than 3 miles. I have never gone that route without some negative encounter with a motor vehicle, whether it’s a blocked bike lane or being sideswiped or having a bus run me into the curb. Even with bike lanes and relatively low speed limits, I am routinely buzzed, cut off and yelled at, even when pulling into my own parking garage. I’m going to ride the elevator with you in about 30 seconds. So, uh, really? I guess DoD contractors are by and large just d*cks. That’s why I usually don’t go that way.

    July 15, 2013 at 4:54 pm #975399
    NicDiesel
    Participant

    @txgoonie 57833 wrote:

    I guess DoD contractors are by and large just d*cks. That’s why I usually don’t go that way.

    Really no need for the generalizing there hoss.

    July 15, 2013 at 4:56 pm #975400
    KLizotte
    Participant

    @txgoonie 57833 wrote:

    When I take the on-street route to work between N. Alexandria and Crystal City, it’s a little more than 3 miles. I have never gone that route without some negative encounter with a motor vehicle, whether it’s a blocked bike lane or being sideswiped or having a bus run me into the curb. Even with bike lanes and relatively low speed limits, I am routinely buzzed, cut off and yelled at, even when pulling into my own parking garage. I’m going to ride the elevator with you in about 30 seconds. So, uh, really? I guess DoD contractors are by and large just d*cks. That’s why I usually don’t go that way.

    Which route are you taking? I routinely ride between CC and Alexandria.

    July 15, 2013 at 8:36 pm #975438
    txgoonie
    Participant

    @KLizotte 57848 wrote:

    Which route are you taking? I routinely ride between CC and Alexandria.

    Potomac Ave. The stretch between Monroe Ave. and Glebe Rd. before the bike lane begins is an almost surefire place to get buzzed even though the speed limit is 25mph (which no one observes, not even close). I think sharrows with possibly a “share the road” sign would be lovely additions there. (I’ve flatted on the “trail” b/c of the gravel-filled gaps, which is why I chose the road.) The corner of Potomac and Crystal Dr. pretty must always has a shuttle bus blocking the bike lane and/or someone stopped in the bike lane to drop someone off. The mixmaster at Crystal Dr. and 23rd was never great but is even worse now that we have to cross the right-most lane to get to the bike lane. Etc. Etc. Lotta hazards for a mere 3 mile stretch of road. If it’s anywhere near 9 am when people are rushing to get to work on time, I get nowhere near the street.

    July 15, 2013 at 8:52 pm #975439
    KLizotte
    Participant

    @txgoonie 57893 wrote:

    Potomac Ave. The stretch between Monroe Ave. and Glebe Rd. before the bike lane begins is an almost surefire place to get buzzed even though the speed limit is 25mph (which no one observes, not even close). I think sharrows with possibly a “share the road” sign would be lovely additions there. (I’ve flatted on the “trail” b/c of the gravel-filled gaps, which is why I chose the road.) The corner of Potomac and Crystal Dr. pretty must always has a shuttle bus blocking the bike lane and/or someone stopped in the bike lane to drop someone off. The mixmaster at Crystal Dr. and 23rd was never great but is even worse now that we have to cross the right-most lane to get to the bike lane. Etc. Etc. Lotta hazards for a mere 3 mile stretch of road. If it’s anywhere near 9 am when people are rushing to get to work on time, I get nowhere near the street.

    Oh, have you tried Commonwealth Ave (or Mt Vernon) and then the 4MR connector tunnel to S Eads Street instead? Probably a little out of your way but would be more relaxing.

    July 15, 2013 at 10:58 pm #975453
    PotomacCyclist
    Participant

    The bike/ped trail along Potomac Ave. should reopen by this fall. I noticed that the southern section has been closed as part of the construction for the new park. They are tearing out the old asphalt and replacing it with wide concrete sidewalks. There will also be other concrete paths through the park, for slower bike traffic.

    I’ve also noticed that crews have been adding sections of new asphalt trail on the west side of the road. And there is a new asphalt bike trail along the new (unfinished) road between Monroe Ave. and the Braddock Rd. Metro station. The trail isn’t open yet. But once it’s available, it should be much easier to ride from the Braddock Rd. Metro area up to Potomac Ave. and to Potomac Yard and Crystal City.

  • Author
    Replies
Viewing 11 replies - 1 through 11 (of 11 total)
  • You must be logged in to reply to this topic.