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Called the Cops on a Driver Today

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Old 06-07-09 | 11:56 AM
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Called the Cops on a Driver Today

I can ignore the honks and shouts, but when a guy deliberately tries to run me over, I reach the limit of my tolerance. I did get his license plate number, though. Called the police when I got home, and the officer was quick, polite, and friendly. Said he would file a report and then go visit the guy at his house. But he also said there probably wasn't much else he could do unless the guy admitted to something. If nothing else, maybe the guy will get a shock when the police car pulls into his driveway.
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Old 06-07-09 | 12:10 PM
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wish I'd done that the other day after I got a load of verbal abuse and threatened by two farmers 'cos their cows were too scared to come past me as I waited by the side of the road as commanded by the first imbecile - I'd say asked politely to wait but they were obviously incapable of even that. A right couple of neanderthals!

However I has the last laugh as the cows went off down the wrong road and they had to run after them swearing at me as they went ha ha ha!
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Old 06-07-09 | 12:20 PM
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So, gonna tell us what the driver did?
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Old 06-07-09 | 12:30 PM
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Originally Posted by aley
So, gonna tell us what the driver did?
Probably something we've all experienced. He was laying on the horn behind me for a good 30-40 seconds, then pulled up abreast of me, slowed down to my speed (about 12 MPH) and started shouting. I couldn't understand him, so I continued to ignore him. Then, still going my speed right beside me, he swerved over into my path of travel. I avoided getting hit by braking.

As soon as he did this, I started shouting his license plate number, both to help remember it and to let him know I was noting it. He kept going slow in front of me, still shouting stuff that was unintelligible, then eventually turned off.

Kind of ruined my trip to the grocery store.

Last edited by sathomasga; 06-07-09 at 01:48 PM.
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Old 06-07-09 | 01:00 PM
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Originally Posted by sathomasga
Kind of ruined my trip to the grocery store.
No doubt.

I've always wondered about the wisdom of letting the driver know that you're noting his information or taking his picture - to me, it's not beyond the realm of reason that a sociopathic driver might make a snap decision to eliminate the witness...

Glad you made it through the encounter OK, and hopefully the cops will make him think twice before doing that again.
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Old 06-07-09 | 01:05 PM
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pull out your cellphone the next time. This seems to concentrate their mind a little, if they have one.
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Old 06-07-09 | 01:26 PM
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At least the cop took a report. Sometimes they don't!
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Old 06-07-09 | 01:29 PM
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Might wanna not post that licence plate online, at least until you find out for sure whether the DA will be pressing charges against him. His lawyer could google it, and weaken you as a witness by portraying you as a vigilante who was trying to set internet stalkers on the guy.
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Old 06-07-09 | 01:50 PM
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Originally Posted by sanitycheck
Might wanna not post that licence plate online, at least until you find out for sure whether the DA will be pressing charges against him. His lawyer could google it, and weaken you as a witness by portraying you as a vigilante who was trying to set internet stalkers on the guy.
Thanks for the tip. I don't expect much to come of it though. (Of course, if some guy shoots me on my way to work Monday morning, I expect the police to put 2 and 2 together ;^)
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Old 06-07-09 | 03:39 PM
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Whether anything comes of it now, it is definitely worth filing a police report so that the next time the driver pulls this stunt isn't the first time in the eyes of the cops. Last year's Mandeville Canyon road rage incident that injured 2 cyclists was taken much more seriously by non-cyclers because the unscathed victims of an earlier encounter with the same guy on the same road had reported it to the police.
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Old 06-07-09 | 05:03 PM
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I had a guy throw a cup of something at me on my ride to work a little while ago. I took down the licence number and called the cops. Once I told the cop what happened (after waiting for about an hour) he asked how far do I want to take it and that their wasn't much they could do since thier was more than one person in the car. Hopefully if this driver does something again there will be a file or something. I like cops, and through my job work with them sometimes; but it sure was frustrating hearing their wasn't much that they could do (though I do understand their point).

Just keep thier licence number and the name of the cop who took your information. Hopefully the cop is true to his word and pays the guy a visit.

In my incident I did find out where the guy lives and have been thinking of naughty things to do to his car (just don't tell anyone ).
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Old 06-07-09 | 05:51 PM
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Originally Posted by sathomasga
Probably something we've all experienced. He was laying on the horn behind me for a good 30-40 seconds, then pulled up abreast of me, slowed down to my speed (about 12 MPH) and started shouting. I couldn't understand him, so I continued to ignore him. Then, still going my speed right beside me, he swerved over into my path of travel. I avoided getting hit by braking.
yep. happened about 2 weeks ago to me. we're such a bike friendly town, it was weird to see. only difference was I was going down a steep hill, about 30mph, and when he guy slowed down he really didn't realize how fast I was going, so he slowed to 10-12, and then had to speed back up to the speed he was going to yell at me .
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Old 06-07-09 | 06:17 PM
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Had a guy throw some trash at me once, right in front of a cop, he got lots of tickets, his car impounded for unpaid parking tickets and I'd like to think for being a pinhead. The trash throwing is a minimum $500 in Florida as well.
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Old 06-07-09 | 09:30 PM
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Originally Posted by sanitycheck
Might wanna not post that licence plate online, at least until you find out for sure whether the DA will be pressing charges against him. His lawyer could google it, and weaken you as a witness by portraying you as a vigilante who was trying to set internet stalkers on the guy.
I don't agree. Post away. The more plate numbers we have on the internet of idiot, dangerous drivers the better. I've done it every time I get a plate number and will continue to do so.
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Old 06-08-09 | 08:32 AM
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Originally Posted by Square & Compas
I don't agree. Post away. The more plate numbers we have on the internet of idiot, dangerous drivers the better. I've done it every time I get a plate number and will continue to do so.
What does it accomplish, exactly?
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Old 06-08-09 | 10:07 AM
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That guy is a doctor no less! Here's a Dec 12 update on the case https://www.latimes.com/news/local/la...0,147065.story

Originally Posted by Nerdanel
Whether anything comes of it now, it is definitely worth filing a police report so that the next time the driver pulls this stunt isn't the first time in the eyes of the cops. Last year's Mandeville Canyon road rage incident that injured 2 cyclists was taken much more seriously by non-cyclers because the unscathed victims of an earlier encounter with the same guy on the same road had reported it to the police.
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