Charges filed against teen who a witness says hurt six bicyclists while trying to 'roll coal'
Photo by: CNN Newsource
By:
Alex Hider
Posted at 11:38 AM, Nov 09, 2021
and last updated 11:38 AM, Nov 09, 2021
District attorneys in Waller County, Texas, filed six charges on Monday against a 16-year-old in connection with a September car crash in the Houston area that injured six bicyclists.
The office for Waller County District Attorney Elton Mathis said in a Facebook post that it had filed six charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon against the 16-year-old boy who was driving at the time of the accident.
Mathis' office said that the teen turned himself in Monday and will be held in custody until further orders from the juvenile court.
The
Houston Chronicle,
KTRK-TV and
KPRC-TV report that six cyclists were hurt in a
Sept. 25 crash just northwest of Houston, Texas. Four of the cyclists had to be hospitalized, two of whom had to be airlifted because of the severity of their injuries.
Cyclist Chase Ferrell says he was riding behind the group of six cyclists who were injured in the crash. He's told multiple media outlets that the teenaged suspect caused the crash while trying to "roll coal," or blow exhaust on cyclists as a means of intimidation.
"The kid on the scene was asking us if we thought he was going to jail," Ferrell told KTRK. "I said, 'Yeah. You messed up.' He was clearly sorry. Even in his mind, his initial reaction was he thought he was going to jail."
Local media outlets report that the teen driver was allowed to leave the scene following the crash. The case prompted outrage in Houston's cycling community.
In its Facebook post on Monday, Mathis' office thanked the public for their patience in filing charges.
"We very much appreciate the patience of the victims and their attorneys as we have attempted to reconstruct the events, and to assess and gather the evidence that was not obtained that day," the District Attorney of Waller County's Facebook update read.
District Attorney of Waller County
on Monday
(11/8/2021 – Waller County Criminal District Attorney)
On September 25, 2021 a sixteen year old drove his truck into six bicyclists that were training through Waller County. Over the last six weeks this office has assigned its own investigators to seek out evidence, and to interview the victims and witnesses. We very much appreciate the patience of the victims and their attorneys as we have attempted to reconstruct the events, and to assess and gather the evidence that was not obtained that day. Today we have filed six felony charges of Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon against the juvenile in question, one charge for each cyclist that was injured. Earlier today the juvenile voluntarily surrendered himself, and was detained by representatives from the juvenile justice department where he will be held in custody until further orders of the juvenile court. Thanks to the Waller County Sheriff’s Office and the Texas Department of Public Safety for their assistance in seeking justice for these individuals. We wish them the speediest of recoveries on their long journey ahead, and remind everyone to share the roads, obey the traffic laws, and to treat each other with the respect that we all deserve. Attorneys for the victims will be kept apprised of the status of the cases as they make their way through the justice system.
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