# The NYC biker gang beat down **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 3, 2013, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-nyc-biker-gang-beat-down/670236 "2013-10-03T01:14:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![Spud](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spud/32/347_2.png) [@Spud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spud)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2013, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-nyc-biker-gang-beat-down/670236/121 "2013-10-06T19:04:57Z")
> [@GusNSpot](#): > > Have you all seen this video? > > [https://www.facebook.com/video/embed?video\_id=10201210860167803](https://www.facebook.com/video/embed?video_id=10201210860167803) Yes, it was posted two days ago in post 65. ---
**Author:** ![Moonlitherial](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4bbf92/32.png) [@Moonlitherial](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moonlitherial)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2013, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-nyc-biker-gang-beat-down/670236/122 "2013-10-06T19:05:17Z")
> [@GusNSpot](#): > > Have you all seen this video? > > [https://www.facebook.com/video/embed?video\_id=10201210860167803](https://www.facebook.com/video/embed?video_id=10201210860167803) Riding on the wrong side of the road - check Lane splitting/riding on yellow lines - check Blocking traffic - check, riding on sidewalks - check Abusing motorists for having the nerve to try and drive through a green light - check Charming group. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2013, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-nyc-biker-gang-beat-down/670236/123 "2013-10-06T19:08:34Z")
> [@Moonlitherial](#): > > Riding on the wrong side of the road - check > Lane splitting/riding on yellow lines - check > Blocking traffic - check, > riding on sidewalks - check > Abusing motorists for having the nerve to try and drive through a green light - check > > Charming group. Running several red lights-check Wheelies- check ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2013, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-nyc-biker-gang-beat-down/670236/124 "2013-10-06T20:00:59Z")
The AP has [an article about the guy who stepped up and stopped the beating. > [@](#): > > Sergio Consuegra told reporters that he wishes he could have done more. He had been on his way to church on Sept. 29 when he saw an SUV stop on 178th Street in Manhattan and a group of motorcyclists approach. > > “I made a simple step that day, a simple gesture. … I must say today, to send a message to all that whenever they see a family in crisis, no matter the circumstances, when they cry for help, be there for them,” he said, at the scene of where the incident took place and accompanied by elected officials. ]([http://bigstory.ap.org/article/good-samaritan-nyc-biker-suv-brawl-felt-danger](http://bigstory.ap.org/article/good-samaritan-nyc-biker-suv-brawl-felt-danger)) Good job, Mr. Consuegra. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2013, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-nyc-biker-gang-beat-down/670236/125 "2013-10-06T20:23:10Z")
Wow! Now there’s a true hero. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2013, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-nyc-biker-gang-beat-down/670236/126 "2013-10-06T20:33:29Z")
Waiting for these morons to do their stupid Stuntz perpendicular to a group of street racers who don’t see 'em coming. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Fun\_Ball](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_fun_ball/32/17664_2.png) [@Happy\_Fun\_Ball](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Fun_Ball)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2013, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-nyc-biker-gang-beat-down/670236/127 "2013-10-06T23:18:40Z")
> [@Muffin](#): > > What’s that phrase, “Keepin’ it real.” Meezee just met with reality in the form of a father, mother and child. > > [Vids of the injured biker doing his thing.](http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=2e2_1380707420) The guy had skillz. Had. These guys are a menace and while the punishment did not fit the crime, I surprised this did not happen more often. If I was surrounded by these guys with my wife and kids in the car, i would have run them down also in an attempt to get away. ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2013, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-nyc-biker-gang-beat-down/670236/128 "2013-10-07T01:15:05Z")
> [@epbrown01](#): > > Am I not writing in English or have comprehension levels fallen sharply? For people looking at increasing reading comprehension, here is a quote from the AP article in **Snowboarder** ’s link. > [@](#): > > In the Sept. 29 confrontation, a group of motorcyclists crossed paths with Lien, who was out for a drive to celebrate his wedding anniversary with his wife and their toddler. One biker, Christopher Cruz, 28, cut off Lien’s Range Rover SUV and slowed down before it bumped his motorcycle’s rear tire, police and prosecutors said. Cruz is fighting misdemeanor charges including unlawful imprisonment. Still waiting to see anything about a road block and a knocked over bike. ---
**Author:** ![Uber\_the\_Goober](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/58956e/32.png) [@Uber\_the\_Goober](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uber_the_Goober)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2013, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-nyc-biker-gang-beat-down/670236/129 "2013-10-07T13:49:30Z")
From **Snowboarder Bo** ’s linked article: > [@](#): > > “This is not a man riding around assaulting people with a quote-unquote ‘gang,’” Watts said. “We will hotly contest those allegations.” 'Scuse me? How on earth do they intend to spin this in any other way? They’ve self-identified as a gang…and they’re on video assaulting the guy. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2013, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-nyc-biker-gang-beat-down/670236/130 "2013-10-07T15:02:50Z")
> [@Uber\_the\_Goober](#): > > How on earth do they intend to spin this in any other way? The poor paralysed citizen was injured while voluntarily providing the valuable civic service of human speed bump, so as to save the city from the dangerous driving of the mean and nasty SUV driver. The other citizens were defending the speed bump, out of fear that the SUV driver was going to circle back and drive over speed bump a second time. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2013, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-nyc-biker-gang-beat-down/670236/131 "2013-10-07T19:39:22Z")
New information on the undercover cop. Sounds like he’s in big trouble. I’m not sure what he could have done unarmed and out of uniform. I’d guess his delay in reporting his presence was an attempt to save his investigation. He may have spent months or even years infiltrating this gang. All that sacrifice is for nothing now. > **[Investigations: U.S. & World News Investigations](https://www.nbcnews.com/investigations?lite)** > > Find the latest reporting on U.S. and world investigations. View articles, photos and videos covering criminal justice and exposing corruption, scandal and more on NBCNews.com. > [@](#): > > The undercover NYPD cop who stood by as a pack of motorcyclists surrounded and attacked the driver of an SUV in Manhattan last week is an officer with about 10 years on the job – virtually all of it undercover, sources say. > > As is sometimes the case in undercover operations , the officer was unarmed when the bikers he was riding with attacked driver Alexian Lien on Sept. 29. And as is almost always the case, he was not carrying a badge. > > Two sources say the officer is assigned to the NYPD’s Intelligence Division. But they did not provide details on his assignment, or whether his actions, or lack of them, were meant to preserve his cover. > > All files related to his career have been locked down by the NYPD’s Internal Affairs Bureau, and his assignment, whatever it was, is now over. While the officer did not take part in the assault, for which three other bikers have so far been charged, he is under investigation for waiting several days before disclosing that he was present. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2013, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-nyc-biker-gang-beat-down/670236/132 "2013-10-07T22:55:27Z")
helmet guy’s lawyer says his client was hit by the SUV earlier and he was just attempting to exchange insurance information as he’s legally entitled to do. ---
**Author:** ![Glazer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a88e57/32.png) [@Glazer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Glazer)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2013, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-nyc-biker-gang-beat-down/670236/133 "2013-10-07T23:35:48Z")
Has his lawyer seen the video? You know your goose is cooked when that’s all your lawyer can come up with. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2013, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-nyc-biker-gang-beat-down/670236/134 "2013-10-08T00:07:53Z")
A better lawyer would have alleged that he didn’t have a piece of paper upon which to write the SUV driver’s insurance info, so he tried to pass his helmet to the SUV driver for the SUV driver to write his information on it, but the SUV driver failed to open the window. Well, maybe not. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2013, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-nyc-biker-gang-beat-down/670236/135 "2013-10-08T01:31:56Z")
I wonder if these people can be held libel for the paralyzed guy’s injuries? I know if someone is killed during the commission of a felony that everybody gets charged. Even the get away driver sitting in a car a block away. But I don’t know if that applies to civil lawsuit injuries. The gang’s actions directly contributed to the situation that caused the victim to get run over by the fleeing car. Starting with their decision to take over the highway, menacing the driver of the car, and then pursuing him. That all lead to the motorcycle guy getting run over and paralyzed. ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2013, 8:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-nyc-biker-gang-beat-down/670236/136 "2013-10-08T08:28:07Z")
"started chasing Mr. Lien when he went around it, knocking over someone’s bike. " I feel your anger. Dam right I’d feel angry too if some a\*\*\*\* in a car just drove over a bike because it was blocking his way. Is that the way you normally drive? You normally run into people that are blocking your way? You say to yourself “He has no right to block my way, so I’ll just run over him”? Then this criminal runs away. And when you try to park your bike in front of him, to prevent him from escaping justice, HE RUNS OVER A PERSON. That’s what you do too? You run over things in your car, then when people try to stop you, your run over them? I drive a car. I used to ride a push-bike. I used to be a pedestrian. I get angry on the road, and I’m not a very good driver. But by God I’ve never tried to drive away from an accident, and I’ve never deliberately run over someone, and when I go to my maker at least I won’t have that to explain. ---
**Author:** ![bengangmo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@bengangmo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bengangmo)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2013, 8:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-nyc-biker-gang-beat-down/670236/137 "2013-10-08T08:48:38Z")
> [@Melbourne](#): > > "started chasing Mr. Lien when he went around it, knocking over someone’s bike. " > > I feel your anger. Dam right I’d feel angry too if some a\*\*\*\* in a car just drove over a bike because it was blocking his way. > > Is that the way you normally drive? You normally run into people that are blocking your way? You say to yourself “He has no right to block my way, so I’ll just run over him”? > > Then this criminal runs away. And when you try to park your bike in front of him, to prevent him from escaping justice, HE RUNS OVER A PERSON. That’s what you do too? You run over things in your car, then when people try to stop you, your run over them? > > I drive a car. I used to ride a push-bike. I used to be a pedestrian. I get angry on the road, and I’m not a very good driver. But by God I’ve never tried to drive away from an accident, and I’ve never deliberately run over someone, and when I go to my maker at least I won’t have that to explain. It’s a bad situation all around, but engaging in Hyperbole doesn’t serve anyone. If he did knock into / know over a bike while going around it you would have to bear in mind a couple of things a) IF its true, the bike was trying to illegally block access to the highway - so what was Lien supposed to do? Just happily sit there until they went away how ever much later they felt like it? b) there is a huge difference between “run over a bike” (which I think is unlikely) and “glance a bike, having it tip over” which I think is the much more likely and reasonable explanation (if a bike was even hit at all) And also - there’s a difference between “park a bike in front of a car to exchange information” and having 30 or more motorbikes surrounding you, one brake check you and then others slashing at your tyres and aggressively trying to open your doors. In this particular situation there is lessons for us to learn as drivers, and as motorcyclists. Could Lien have done things differently? absolutely. Does this make him culpable for what happened - not in my eyes. Having watched the video, I totally support the idea that he won’t be charged ---
**Author:** ![Longshanks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e480ec/32.png) [@Longshanks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Longshanks)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2013, 10:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-nyc-biker-gang-beat-down/670236/138 "2013-10-08T10:00:26Z")
Sons of anarchy, anyone? ---
**Author:** ![Ca3799](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9f8e36/32.png) [@Ca3799](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ca3799)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2013, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-nyc-biker-gang-beat-down/670236/139 "2013-10-08T14:36:48Z")
There is no evidence that the car clipped the bike and started the whole incident. And, the video ends when the car driver is having his window struck by the biker with a helmet. There certainly has to be video before and after the released 6 minutes that could shed some light on things. I am suspicious that the before and after is not being released because it is damaging to the biker’s position about what happened. This news story has a still picture of the car driver bleeding on the ground, obviously after he was out of the car, so there is certainly more video after the released 6 minute clip. This news story also has a still picture of one of the bikers shooting the bird in court. [http://news.yahoo.com/video/video-surfaces-bikers-attacking-another-](http://news.yahoo.com/video/video-surfaces-bikers-attacking-another-) That’s gonna be popular with the judge, I bet. This guys lawyer wants you to know his client is not a thug.131013149.html?utm\_source=buffer&utm\_campaign=Buffer&utm\_content=buffer22da8&utm\_medium=facebook ---
**Author:** ![newcomer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/e5b9ba/32.png) [@newcomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/newcomer)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2013, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-nyc-biker-gang-beat-down/670236/140 "2013-10-08T14:46:30Z")
> [@Melbourne](#): > > "started chasing Mr. Lien when he went around it, knocking over someone’s bike. " > > I feel your anger. Dam right I’d feel angry too if some a\*\*\*\* in a car just drove over a bike because it was blocking his way. > > Is that the way you normally drive? You normally run into people that are blocking your way? You say to yourself “He has no right to block my way, so I’ll just run over him”? > > Then this criminal runs away. And when you try to park your bike in front of him, to prevent him from escaping justice, HE RUNS OVER A PERSON. That’s what you do too? You run over things in your car, then when people try to stop you, your run over them? > > I drive a car. I used to ride a push-bike. I used to be a pedestrian. I get angry on the road, and I’m not a very good driver. But by God I’ve never tried to drive away from an accident, and I’ve never deliberately run over someone, and when I go to my maker at least I won’t have that to explain. You omitted “sarcasm” tags. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-nyc-biker-gang-beat-down/670236.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-nyc-biker-gang-beat-down/670236.md?page=8)