Van Rams Cyclist on Purpose
A man in Central California was injured when a van purposely rammed into him while on a bicycle at a Target parking lot Monday morning. Police were surprised to find out that one of the two assailants was a woman and she has been arrested for allegedly attempting to run over the bicyclist, while the other assailant remains on the loose.
Mark Douglas, a 54-year-old man from San Luis Obispo (SLO) was attempting to evade an argument with an adult male at the parking lot of a SLO Target retail store. Unknowingly to him and the man accosting him, the argument was being captured through a parking lot camera.
In an attempt to get away from the argument Douglas then boarded his bicycle. As he began to ride away, the male who was arguing also turned around and boarded a van. As he got in, the van hit the cyclist and sped away.
San Luis Obispo looking east from the top of Bishop Peak. There is some rain in the background. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Paramedics and SLO police arrived at the scene soon after to treat Douglas and file an accident report. Per the Crime Voice, he suffered minor injuries, which were non-life threatening.
Investigators soon began to review the security video footage from the Target parking lot for their report and determined that the accident was not an unintended hit and run as they had suspected earlier, it was done on purpose. They were able to see how after Douglas began to go his own way, the outraged male entered the van that hit Douglas and sped out from the parking lot.
Using detail from the video footage, SLO police was able to determine that the accident happened at about 9:00 a.m. and dispatched a county-wide broadcast to find the van and the male. Using the van’s description and license plate number, an officer was able to find the van and pulled it over.
Once pulled over, the officer discovered Olivia Ripple, a 24-year-old female from SLO was behind the wheel. The Pismo Beach police officer spotted her on Highway 101, Ripple was the sole occupant. She was identified as the driver who allegedly hit Douglas and fled the scene.
According to police, Ripple was arrested and booked for assault with a deadly weapon at San Luis Obispo County Jail. Her bail is set for $25,000.
The accident remains under investigation. Police officers are looking for the male suspect in the security video footage who was arguing with Douglas in the parking lot.
An injury lawyer from the California-wide The Consumers Law Group will be a great legal aid and spokesman for Douglas. When Ripples’ insurance attempts to contact Douglas, we suggest that he instead speaks to a Los Angeles lawyer first.
Reviewed by Chris H. in 2012.