Simone WilsonUpdated after the jump: Christine Elizabeth Dahab, 27, was booked on suspicion of driving under the influence. One Midnight Rida calls her a “drunk bitch.” Originally posted at 8:50 a.m.
The famed Midnight Ridazz took a hard hit in the wee hours this morning.
Of 100 cyclists reportedly stopped in a bike path along West Jefferson at Rodeo Road at about 1:49 a.m., up to 11 were injured by a young woman who “revved her engine, hopped a curb and 'just took everybody out,'” Alex, a cyclist, told KTLA. Witnesses told CBS2 she was going about 60 MPH.
The pack of Midnight Ridazz, who were on the return leg of their weekly “Koreatown Wednesday” ride, this time to the Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook, is said to have been waiting for fellow cyclists who had fallen behind. That's when the white Honda Civic, with a 27-year-old woman behind the wheel, came speeding down the wide Culver City roadway.
Its driver is now being blood-tested for a potential felony DUI at the LAPD station. As for the riders, City News Service counts six of them “in serious condition.” Various news outlets reported that three to five more cyclists are hurt as well.
Koreatown Wednesday had begun in Westlake, at Wilshire and Vermont. On the weekly ride's web page, “Jesus” provides the following info:
Koreatown Wednesdays is a medium paced ride. We enforce the NO RIDER LEFT BEHIND policy, however sometimes there is no way for us to know if you get dropped. …What else is there to say? This ride is different and has it's own flavor. Every week we experience something new and something refreshing; one week you'll experience the most hill-ridden route, next week you'll enjoy the slapping sensation of wind hitting your face at 32mph. Come only if you're looking to have a good time :D. Bring friends, bring strangers. It's Wednesday and you're in KUSHTOWN!! 😀
The CBS2 broadcast report:
The Ridazz, along with sister bike group Critical Mass, are a controversial L.A. institution: Many car-bound Angelenos complain the cyclists are rowdy and in-the-way, whereas Ridazz generally feel the cars are the real problem.
Update: The driver, Christine Dahab, has been placed under $15,000 bail while investigators determine whether the Ridazz might have contributed to the problem by blocking the road. But remember: Dahab completely jumped the curb. As noted by LA Streetsblog, a witness wrote on the Midnight Ridaz forum today:
“We were waiting for everyone to make their way down from Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook as this shit happened. I saw a car speeding towards us and thought doesn't the driver see us, NO…. Drunk bitch took out the whole ride. some of us got out of the way just in time but many took the brunt force of the hit.”
The blog also posted the following witness photo:
Credit: Facebook
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