Detectives in Texas are investigating whether there was malicious intent behind a Saturday morning accident that saw a 16-year-old drive his modified Ford Super Duty pickup truck into a group of six cyclists.
Among other things, the minor who was behind the wheel has been accused of “rolling coal,” an act that involves using an illegal modification to a vehicle’s emissions regulator to blow thick black clouds of exhaust on pedestrians through the vehicle’s tailpipe.
Chase Ferrell was part of the cyclist group but was riding a few paces back. He says the teenager executed the “rolling coal” maneuver on him first, then attempted to do the same to the cyclists up ahead. He says that’s when the teen lost control of the truck and accelerated into the group, striking six of the eight cyclists.
"As I was trying to catch up, I saw him doing the same thing to the group of cyclists that he (eventually) hit," Ferrell said. "He was pulling over to get closer to them in their lane when he accelerated and went right into them. He just ran them over. It was nuts."
Four of the six injured cyclists were taken to the hospital.
The teenager, who has not been identified by police because of his underage status, then stopped his truck and got out, according to Ferrell who had caught up to the group by then.
"Yeah, you did something really freaking stupid," Ferrell said he told the teen. "You should go to jail."
Two of the hospitalized cyclists had to be airlifted from the scene because their injuries were so severe, a fact supported by the serious damage sustained to the truck’s front end.
What some are questioning is why the teen was not arrested at the scene and allowed to leave when his parents arrived to retrieve him.
The Waller County District Attorney’s Office has yet to comment publicly on why the teen was not taken into custody, saying the matter is still under investigation.
The case is however set to go before a grand jury, according to DA Elton Mathis, who relayed the information to local television station ABC13. And the DA’s office used a Facebook post to hint at how serious the charges might be if they do get levied.
If indeed they prove that the teenager was “rolling coal” on the cyclists, he would, at minimum, stand trial for assault, according to the post.
The teenager’s attorney Rick DeToto conversely says it was simply a case of a “new and inexperienced” driver losing control of his vehicle, and that there was no malice present. DeToto sent a text to the Houston Chronicle in his client’s defense.
"My client is a young man in high school with college aspirations. He’s a very new and inexperienced driver. This was a serious accident but did not involve any criminal intent. He immediately called 911, helped with the injured and cooperated with police. The family prays for the speedy recovery of the riders involved and we look forward to cooperating with investigators."
The Waller County Grand Jury is not set to convene again until later this month or possibly sometime in November.
A GoFundMe has been set up to benefit the injured cyclists.
Related
