Leftover food got tossed at me while riding home at night.
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Leftover food got tossed at me while riding home at night.
I just had a nice ride going home from the girlfriend's house until I encountered some punk ass kids in a SUV. I rolled up to the light with my bike and noticed three teenagers in a SUV (Ford Explorer). Their windows were down and I could see them. When the light turned green, I took off on my bike as fast and I can and then one guy from the rear window threw a bag of food at me. It appeared to be a McDonalds bag of leftover (fries and/or burgers) and it hit my right arm. I quickly gave them the middle finger and cursed them with the "F" word. I saw the driver immediately stepped on the brake and took off. I was pissed of that I got some punk ass kids throwing crap at me. What should I have done in this situation or in future situation like this. I was thinking about carrying a few golf balls with me as payback in similiar event in future.
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I've reached back to get my cellphone out of my pocket and then proceeded to speak into it loudly enough for the car occupants to hear. Mainly I asked for the police, mentioned the location, and then repeated the license number of the car a few times.
Then I enjoyed watching the antics as the car sped off, made an immediate turn into some neighborhood and appeared to make some additional turns as well judging from the engine sounds. Course I hadn't actually called 911 - but they didn't know that. Bet the driver was pretty nervous for awhile about the chance the police would check up on him.
Then I enjoyed watching the antics as the car sped off, made an immediate turn into some neighborhood and appeared to make some additional turns as well judging from the engine sounds. Course I hadn't actually called 911 - but they didn't know that. Bet the driver was pretty nervous for awhile about the chance the police would check up on him.
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Something like that happened to me around 1971, was riding home from delivering newspapers, about 5:30 am, and someone in a Mustang threw a bag of fast-food leftovers at me, hit me in the back. Petty folks do tend to take advantage of those who they perceive as weaker than themselves.
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Maybe it's because I'm getting old and afraid, but the best thing you can do is nothing. Just accept that moron kids will be moron kids. They have to wake up, look in the mirror and be moron kids. That's punishment enough. I would have pulled over and called 911 of course.
The bottom line is that you weren't hurt (except maybe dignity) and doing nothing means no potential for harm, arrest, etc. I know this must have been really infuriating, but there could have been worse outcomes when you lock horns with three kids who are clearly too young to have judgement or perspective in an SUV. No matter how right we are, no matter how gross or ignorant the person in the car is, we're the ones who are vulnerable and we're the ones who are going to be seriously hurt if something crazy happens.
The bottom line is that you weren't hurt (except maybe dignity) and doing nothing means no potential for harm, arrest, etc. I know this must have been really infuriating, but there could have been worse outcomes when you lock horns with three kids who are clearly too young to have judgement or perspective in an SUV. No matter how right we are, no matter how gross or ignorant the person in the car is, we're the ones who are vulnerable and we're the ones who are going to be seriously hurt if something crazy happens.
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Sadly, this is the truth. There's nothing you can do except make the situation worse. If it's a one-time thing, I wouldn't even worry about it. If it happens repeatedly, you need to get the law involved.
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Meh. Cool down, enjoy the ride. Don't let morons bring you down to their level.
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Maybe carry some condiments in your pannier in case it happens again?
Personally I'd want to blast an airzound or chuck something at them, but it would do nothing but escalate the situation. Stop, breathe, cool down, get rational, call cops if warranted in future episodes (hopefully there will be none). I think it boils down to intent--did they want to hurt you or just annoy you? Yeah, it's a slippery slope, I know. A bag of leftovers might have been meant to annoy/demean you, but could ht you in the face, cause a wreck, etc. Your call on how threatening/dangerous it was/could be. None of us here can make that judgment since we won't be there with you if it happens again.
Personally I'd want to blast an airzound or chuck something at them, but it would do nothing but escalate the situation. Stop, breathe, cool down, get rational, call cops if warranted in future episodes (hopefully there will be none). I think it boils down to intent--did they want to hurt you or just annoy you? Yeah, it's a slippery slope, I know. A bag of leftovers might have been meant to annoy/demean you, but could ht you in the face, cause a wreck, etc. Your call on how threatening/dangerous it was/could be. None of us here can make that judgment since we won't be there with you if it happens again.
#9
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If it was me and I was able to get a vehicle description and license number, I'd be phoning the local authorities. If anything, it will log the vehicle into the data base for possible future incidents by the same perpetrators.
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I just had a nice ride going home from the girlfriend's house until I encountered some punk ass kids in a SUV. I rolled up to the light with my bike and noticed three teenagers in a SUV (Ford Explorer). Their windows were down and I could see them. When the light turned green, I took off on my bike as fast and I can and then one guy from the rear window threw a bag of food at me. It appeared to be a McDonalds bag of leftover (fries and/or burgers) and it hit my right arm. I quickly gave them the middle finger and cursed them with the "F" word. I saw the driver immediately stepped on the brake and took off. I was pissed of that I got some punk ass kids throwing crap at me. What should I have done in this situation or in future situation like this. I was thinking about carrying a few golf balls with me as payback in similiar event in future.
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If you get the license plate #, call the cops and report an assault. They probably won't do much, but sometimes they'll show up at the registered owners house and ask them who was driving the car and whether they were throwing crap at people. If it's the parents' car, they'll give the kid hell. Or at least they should.
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#12
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I'd ride in a neighbourhood where people actually throw decent food out their windows... there is nothing like a free meal.
Once had some guys in a pickup throw a whiskey bottle at me and I was so pissed off that it was empty I followed them home to discuss proper manners.
Once had some guys in a pickup throw a whiskey bottle at me and I was so pissed off that it was empty I followed them home to discuss proper manners.
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Unfortunately, this is trending toward the norm for nighttime riding. Not the norm, but getting there. I posted recently about blowdarts and a general increase in heckling frequency. I'll stop right there to avoid getting into the Grandfather Corollary, where it becomes evident that my inner curmudgeon has matured enough for me to become those father figures from my childhood. You know, 'Get off my lawn you damn kids' and other fine selections from Cranky Cyclist Vol. I.
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You should have responded in kind - threw them a free bottle of tabasco, ofc open so as not to have them being bothered with opening it. And make it the most hottest sauce that you can find, to make sure they are pleased
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Call the police to see what they will do. Get the license plate number, description of the vehicle, and don't let it ruin a ride. Sometimes the police will do something and sometimes they won't. Just let them know that you take this matter seriously and hopefully it will spur them to action. Even if it is just an inquiry to the perpetrators on their part.
#18
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I stopped out in the middle of my night ride about a month ago. The next thing I know I have a light in my face and am being asked all these questions about why I stopped in front of his house. I say I'm riding and enjoying the moon (It was a full moon just low on the horizon framed between two trees and I was trying to get a shot with the camera) and then he continues on and starts telling me not to stop there and I have no right to stop there, which is a sure fire way to ratchet me up considering this in on a public road and his house is 40 yards or more from it. He start threatening me with dogs and I go through the whole law thing so he goes inside to either get the dogs or call the sheriff. I tell his wife whom he leaves standing out there to have a nice night and send the sheriffs down my way and ride off. I get a little ways up the road and here comes this pickup that stops in front of me, the guy gets out saying "Come on over here and talk to me, I'm not such a bad guy.." "yeah right" I say as I start pulling out my pepper spray, I have no idea what he has planned since I haven't been chased on a bike in 25+ years. Then he tells me has something better than pepper spray and starts yelling at me, asking if I know who he is and that he has had death threats against him. I yelled back I didn't give a ***t who he was, he could carry his **s right back home. I continued on with my hands on the spray for a while.
So here he was out on a barely traveled FM road with a stranger and he has death threats against him. hmmm whats wrong with this picture. I should have been scared but I was to angry and besides, if someone was this eager to chase a stranger down who may have wanted to kill them they couldn't be to bright.
So here he was out on a barely traveled FM road with a stranger and he has death threats against him. hmmm whats wrong with this picture. I should have been scared but I was to angry and besides, if someone was this eager to chase a stranger down who may have wanted to kill them they couldn't be to bright.
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You live in Tx. Carry a Glock with you on your rides. If they had stopped it would not have escalated. Unless they were really really dumb.
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First thing I'd do is go down to the tax assessor's office and try to find out how far the right of way extends from the road centerline at this house, (which will also get you a name) then go have a talk with the sheriff about his activities. Trying to stop you after the original incident could easily be construed as a serious threat, and telling you he's "got something better than pepper spray" while he's otherwise acting out of control is coming really close to justifying deadly force in self defense as it is.
Last edited by KD5NRH; 08-25-10 at 04:38 PM.
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A quick round of BBs would quickly fix them. I am not one to go around shooting at people but those kids would have been in deep bird turd had they tossed the meal at the one who had a gun and blew out their back window.
#22
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I'm not one to escalate a situation by using some sort of firearm or pellet gun either, though my town may not be as bad as a Mexican border town, if the carload of teens don't come back at you later on with more firepower, their wacked out parents will.
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What is wrong with people? Don't do anything? No wonder we're going down the tubes when nobody is willing to do anything. Call the police with a description and license number and file assault charges on the bums. Make their lives as miserable as possible so maybe they'll learn not to do such things. When nobody stands up to evil you wind up with nothing but evil.
#25
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writing down the license plate number and making a reckless endangerment complaint to the THP?
they will grow to vote against their own self interest, repeatedly , I expect.
they will grow to vote against their own self interest, repeatedly , I expect.