If you're reading motorcycle news, then you've probably learned about the Manhattan Brawl bikers versus Range Rover incident. The Police investigations is still carried out, with as much as 6 arrests and criminal charges against several bikers who apparently assaulted the driver, wrecked his car and beat him.
However, things are still as iffy as they were in the first place and people I've been talking to are really torn between the two sides of the story.
The bikers in the pack claim that Alexian Lien, the Range Rover driver, was himself driving erratically and even threw an empty water bottle through the sun roof.
They and their lawyers also try to convince other people and the media that they were some sort of well-mannered, quite bunch of motorcyclists minding their own business in the warm afternoon sun and a crazy driver plowed into them, then ran over some of their ranks, then fled.
Police sources mention about two hundred 911 calls, which signaled unruly conduct form the biker group, including menacing and more. Add in the police rap for some of the guys brought into custody and a general disrespect for pretty much anything, plus the missing driving license for Edwin Mieses, and things look far from peachy. Some of the riders in the group are thugs, like it or not.
However, I don't agree with some of the people who just go with "they're thugs so being run over serves them just fine". I believe such an attitude is completely wrong and only promotes the bigger gun argument. The police has a job to do, putting all the pieces together so the judges can decide who is responsible and how much.
While so far charges have been pressed only against members of the bike group, some voices seem to claim that Lien should also be charged. Far from taking sides in this affair, I really feel like the guys trying to defend the bikies are all telling a different story.
To me, it all sounds like each of the chaps who are now detained or who have posted bail are letting their lawyers do the BS talking or are continuously blabbering what the lawyers instructed them to say.
Some mention the water bottle being thrown out, some claim Lien was a mad driver, Cruz, the man who can be seen brake-checking the SUV now says the brake was unintentional and he was just checking out for the rest of the guys in the pack.
None of the group has the same story. The first rider who furiously opened the Range Rover door claims he was trying to reach for the car keys so Lien would not leave. I've seen one or two people jumping to kick each other and that scene was just the same.
I know the lawyers told their clients how deep they are in dung, but claiming they're just a group of fine lads who've never done any wrong is preposterous. Sorry guys, but using knives to slash a car's tires is no schoolgirl behavior.
It was the street justice move who helped Lien avoid charges: police has not charged him until now, and it may very well be that things remain like this in the future. The bikies' herd-behavior, known to flame up spirits quite quickly even for the smallest of things, led them into irrational acts.
Showing aggressive intentions and attacking Lien's car provide the best excuse for his actions. Now, running people over with a 2-ton car is definitely not good and I hope nobody gets the wrong idea that I condone with this.
But facts are, even if Lien was a motorcycle hater down to the core, plowing through the bikers seems almost justifiable when judged against knives, a mauled car, his wife and infant daughter inside the vehicle, and being surrounded by several visibly aggressive people.
In a way, it's sad to see so many honest riders in that group get the blame for the mindless first reaction of only a handful of morons. Unfortunately, it turns out that the severe injuries and possibly paralysis Mieses ended up with weigh so much less compared to Lien's bruises and stitches.
Unlike other idiots, I'm definitely not happy with Mieses' condition. He may indeed be collateral damage, as some claim. But in case he didn't actually have a driving license, he's not only a felon, but had no right to be with the rest of the guys riding a motorcycle on the public roads!
I only know too well how things go in such cases, with riders who had their license suspended and still ride in a large group, hoping that the police would not pull them over and check each guy's papers. I've seen this more than once, so it's no use playing cat and mouse any longer.
Asking now that Lien be charged and motivating this demand showing Mieses' very bad condition will most likely not cause the police or judges to press charges against the Range Rover driver.
As more evidence from people who witnessed the various stages of this affair is gathered, things look worse and worse for the Hollywood Stuntz and unfortunately, these guys cast a very bad light on the rest of the riders.
Some fellows say that, should these guys not have threatened, then attacked Lien's car in the first place, there would have been no Manhattan Brawl, and I tend to say this too. Unfortunately, as birds of a feather flock together, all it took was one rider acting aggressively to have several more following and spiraling things out of control.
Wonder how things would have looked like in case Lien had a CCW permit and went a bit trigger-happy defending his property, wife and child...
The bikers in the pack claim that Alexian Lien, the Range Rover driver, was himself driving erratically and even threw an empty water bottle through the sun roof.
They and their lawyers also try to convince other people and the media that they were some sort of well-mannered, quite bunch of motorcyclists minding their own business in the warm afternoon sun and a crazy driver plowed into them, then ran over some of their ranks, then fled.
Police sources mention about two hundred 911 calls, which signaled unruly conduct form the biker group, including menacing and more. Add in the police rap for some of the guys brought into custody and a general disrespect for pretty much anything, plus the missing driving license for Edwin Mieses, and things look far from peachy. Some of the riders in the group are thugs, like it or not.
However, I don't agree with some of the people who just go with "they're thugs so being run over serves them just fine". I believe such an attitude is completely wrong and only promotes the bigger gun argument. The police has a job to do, putting all the pieces together so the judges can decide who is responsible and how much.
While so far charges have been pressed only against members of the bike group, some voices seem to claim that Lien should also be charged. Far from taking sides in this affair, I really feel like the guys trying to defend the bikies are all telling a different story.
To me, it all sounds like each of the chaps who are now detained or who have posted bail are letting their lawyers do the BS talking or are continuously blabbering what the lawyers instructed them to say.
Some mention the water bottle being thrown out, some claim Lien was a mad driver, Cruz, the man who can be seen brake-checking the SUV now says the brake was unintentional and he was just checking out for the rest of the guys in the pack.
None of the group has the same story. The first rider who furiously opened the Range Rover door claims he was trying to reach for the car keys so Lien would not leave. I've seen one or two people jumping to kick each other and that scene was just the same.
I know the lawyers told their clients how deep they are in dung, but claiming they're just a group of fine lads who've never done any wrong is preposterous. Sorry guys, but using knives to slash a car's tires is no schoolgirl behavior.
It was the street justice move who helped Lien avoid charges: police has not charged him until now, and it may very well be that things remain like this in the future. The bikies' herd-behavior, known to flame up spirits quite quickly even for the smallest of things, led them into irrational acts.
Showing aggressive intentions and attacking Lien's car provide the best excuse for his actions. Now, running people over with a 2-ton car is definitely not good and I hope nobody gets the wrong idea that I condone with this.
But facts are, even if Lien was a motorcycle hater down to the core, plowing through the bikers seems almost justifiable when judged against knives, a mauled car, his wife and infant daughter inside the vehicle, and being surrounded by several visibly aggressive people.
In a way, it's sad to see so many honest riders in that group get the blame for the mindless first reaction of only a handful of morons. Unfortunately, it turns out that the severe injuries and possibly paralysis Mieses ended up with weigh so much less compared to Lien's bruises and stitches.
Unlike other idiots, I'm definitely not happy with Mieses' condition. He may indeed be collateral damage, as some claim. But in case he didn't actually have a driving license, he's not only a felon, but had no right to be with the rest of the guys riding a motorcycle on the public roads!
I only know too well how things go in such cases, with riders who had their license suspended and still ride in a large group, hoping that the police would not pull them over and check each guy's papers. I've seen this more than once, so it's no use playing cat and mouse any longer.
Asking now that Lien be charged and motivating this demand showing Mieses' very bad condition will most likely not cause the police or judges to press charges against the Range Rover driver.
As more evidence from people who witnessed the various stages of this affair is gathered, things look worse and worse for the Hollywood Stuntz and unfortunately, these guys cast a very bad light on the rest of the riders.
Some fellows say that, should these guys not have threatened, then attacked Lien's car in the first place, there would have been no Manhattan Brawl, and I tend to say this too. Unfortunately, as birds of a feather flock together, all it took was one rider acting aggressively to have several more following and spiraling things out of control.
Wonder how things would have looked like in case Lien had a CCW permit and went a bit trigger-happy defending his property, wife and child...
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