Cyclist attacked by driver, passenger opens fire during group ride in Uptown, video shows

UPTOWN – A motorist and his fellow passengers fired shots and beat cyclists during a popular citywide bike ride Friday.

A fight broke out around 8 p.m. on Friday as cyclists rode along Sunnyside Avenue between Magnolia Avenue and Racine Avenue in Uptown. The incident occurred as part of a Critical Mass bike ride, in which hundreds of cyclists ride together in a group to promote safer cycling on the road.

Police confirmed that a fight broke out between some cyclists and a group of men. One of the men pulled out a gun and fired into the air. No one was hit. No one was arrested, but according to the police department, detectives are investigating.

A cyclist involved in the brawl, who wished to remain anonymous for safety reasons, said a motorist attempted to exit an alley on Sunnyside Avenue and appeared unlikely to stop as dozens of cyclists were still riding by. The cyclist stopped to block the alley’s entrance and flag down the motorist.

“Blocking traffic so that the ride can continue is a very common occurrence,” the cyclist told the Block Club. “It’s usually called corking, something like corking a bottle. It’s something I’ve done countless times in the past, just stopping to make room for a moment so everyone could get by.”

The cyclist asked the driver to wait until the whole group had passed, but the driver was against it. They suggested the driver could back up and exit the lane on the other side since there were no cars behind them, the cyclist said, and the video shows.

“Move the bike,” said a man identified as the driver, as a video of the altercation shows.

The man then knocked over the cyclist’s bicycle, which he had held in front of him as a protective barrier, it was said.

As the video shows, the cyclist and motorist assumed a defensive fighting position before the cyclist picked up his bike and used it as a defensive barrier.

They then wrestled over the bike before a major scuffle broke out between cyclists and the car’s occupants, according to the video. At one point, one of the car’s occupants dragged the cyclist next to his bike and began punching and kicking his head, they said.

Loren Phillips, a friend of the cyclist who was participating in the bike ride, had also stopped to help stop the group of cyclists behind him. As his friend was being dragged to the ground, Phillips stepped forward to help, but the driver punched him in the face, knocking him unconscious, he said, and the video shows it.

“The last thing I remember is the driver coming toward me, and then I kind of came to, I don’t know how much later – I don’t know how long I was unconscious,” Phillips said. “My jaw hurt, and my back hurt. I was just dazed.”

While Phillips was unconscious, one of the passengers pulled out a gun and began waving it toward the cyclists. He then pointed the gun upward and fired two shots into the air, the first cyclist said and the video shows.

The video shows cyclists riding away when shots were fired.

Jacob Rogers, another cyclist on the ride, witnessed the end of the incident, he said. He saw someone get into an argument with another person who didn’t appear to be part of the ride, and then other cyclists jumped off their bikes and intervened.

That’s when Rogers heard the gunshots, he said. People began to scatter, and Rogers and a friend got off their bikes and rode down another street, he said. He said he saw people hiding behind or under cars.

“I have never experienced anything like this myself,” Rogers said.

After the incident, Phillips was taken to the hospital and treated for a concussion, he said.

Phillips and his friend described the incident as traumatic and one of the most serious escalations of tensions between cyclists and motorists they had ever experienced.

“I see this as a form of road aggression,” Phillips said, questioning why someone would resort to violence just because they have to wait in their car. “These are the risks cyclists face every day.”

The dispute comes as Chicago has seen a rise in traffic fatalities since the pandemic, reports have emerged that Chicago’s infrastructure is unsafe for cyclists, and cyclist and pedestrian activists have become increasingly vocal in their calls for safer streets.

Phillips and the other cyclist rejected the criticism often expressed online that cyclists are an enemy of motorists, especially given that road infrastructure is designed to protect motorists.

“I don’t have the feeling that there is any provocative intention behind these rides,” said the first cyclist. “Any kind of traffic obstruction is primarily for the safety of the group. It’s a family event and there are children on the road.”

The point of the Critical Mass rides is to promote community and raise awareness that cyclists are on the roads, both cyclists said.

“So often, during rides, at Critical Mass or generally when I’m driving around town, drivers just drive into bikes,” Phillips said.

The first cyclist said he has physically healed from Friday’s incident, but it will take time to recover from the emotional trauma. However, he said he is determined to continue riding his bike around the city.

They also encouraged newcomers to join Critical Mass rides to break down the “us versus them” mentality between drivers and cyclists and help drivers see the city in a new light.

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