An incident between a driver and a cyclist in Central Saanich turned violent on Tuesday, resulting in approximately $5000 worth of damage to a car and a search for the perpetrator.
According to Steve Bengal, the driver who filmed part of the incident, the violence was relatively unprovoked.
Car Passing Cyclist Escalates Into Violence
“I was on Oldfield heading towards Keating Cross Rd, coming up on Sean Rd, (with) a cyclist on my right side,” he said. “It not being a bike-friendly road, I kind of held back, [then] took a little bit of room over the [centre] lane line to pass (the cyclist), and in that time he cut in front of me, right in front of my car. No signal, no shoulder check, no nothing.”
Bengal said he tooted his horn and yelled at the cyclist to hand signal, which caused the cyclist to yell back. But the interaction didn’t end there.
“I sat at the intersection [of Oldfield and Keating Cross] and I see him cycling up and he’s charging towards my car. I thought he was going to run into it,” said Bengal. “I grabbed my phone, hit record.”
The following interaction can be seen in the video, posted to Facebook by Bengal’s sister, Chris Mutrie.
Previous Injuries Made for Muted Response
Bengal said his lack of argument with the cyclist in the video was because of injuries he’d sustained in a recent dirt-biking accident.
“I’m nursing broken ribs and a punctured lung so I didn’t say anything like ‘What’s wrong? What are you doing? What the frick is this about?'” said Bengal. “I just kept my mouth shut because I didn’t want it directed towards me being that I wouldn’t have been able to defend myself in any way.”
Following the interaction, Bengal said he called the police and the cyclist took off. Bengal said he tracked the unknown man down himself, resulting in his other mirror being kicked off. But by the time the police arrived, the man had gone again.
“If I’ve dished something out, I’m a big boy, I’ll take my lumps. But this was absolutely uncalled for and that’s the only reason why I’ve gone down this avenue with it, to find out who he is,” said Bengal.
“If I did do something wrong, that he thinks I did, then sure, yeah, I deserve a ticket. Explain your side. What did I do? That’s what’s annoying me. If I’m in the wrong, why am I the only the one that’s contacted the police?”
Central Saanich Police Statement:
“Our Police Service is actively investigating this incident,” said Cpl.Dan Cottingham. “The male in the video has not been located and has not yet been identified. We are looking to identify the male and have him speak with our investigators.”
Anyone with information on the incident or the identity of the male can contact Central Saanich non-emergency number at 250-652-4441 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477)
Video:
https://www.facebook.com/chris.mutrie/posts/10155161684398090
