A 16-year-old teen has yet to go to jail after he allegedly harassed and stuck numerous cyclists over the weekend in Waller.
A group of eight cyclists were training for the Ironman Triathlon on Saturday (September 25) when a driver in a Ford Super Duty pickup drove near them along Old Highway 290. The teen allegedly attempted to “roll coal” on a small group of cyclists and kick up black smoke to block their view. When he approached a second group, according to a witness, he instead struck six of them. He stopped, got out of his truck and surveyed the damage caused before another cyclist caught up with him.
“Yeah, you did something really freaking stupid,” cyclist Chase Ferrell recalled telling the teen. “You should go to jail.”
Instead, the teen did not go to jail. Despite numerous messages to the Waller County District Attorney’s office, the case is still “under investigation.” A representative for the DA left a message on their Facebook page Sunday (September 26).
“Thank you to everyone that has messaged regarding the Saturday morning collision between a pickup truck and bicyclists in the Waller area,” the statement read.”Please know that this matter will be thoroughly reviewed and appropriate actions taken as soon as the investigation is completed and handed over to this office.”
Four of the six cyclists were hospitalized, two of which had to be airlifted due to their injuries. Photos of the incident were shared on social media and displayed a grisly scene: mangled bikes all placed together while the truck’s front end suffered damage to its front bumper.
The teen’s lawyer released a statement on Wednesday (September 29), claiming the driver was “new and inexperienced” who didn’t intend to hit the bike riders.
“My client is a young man in high school with college aspirations,” attorney Rick DeToto said. “He’s a very new and inexperienced driver. This was a serious accident but did not involve any criminal intent. He immediately called 911, helped with the injured and cooperated with police. The family prays for the speedy recovery of the riders involved and we look forward to cooperating with investigators.”
Ultimately the teen was questioned by authorities but released without charges. In recent interviews, Waller County District Attorney Elton Mathis hinted the teen could be charged with crimes ranging from misdemeanor assault to felony aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. According to Mathis, it will be up to a grand jury to decide those offenses if charges are filed.
16-Year-Old Driver Yet To Be Charged For Running Over Group Of Cyclists In Waller was originally published on myhoustonmajic.com
