On my way home today I nearly lost my head...

...emotionally and physically.

Okay, so I was riding my bike up the street to my house 45 minutes ago, and a skateboarder came speeding down the street from the opposite direction. He crossed over two lanes to dodge some cars so that now he was fast approaching me head on. I shrugged and threw my left hand up in the air as he passed. "What are you doing?" I said, and WHACK! He hit me right in the chest as he passed. I crashed into the curb but steadied myself, not believing this kid had just hit me! I turned around and he was still going, not having missed a beat. I was mad and confused and determined to talk this out. I followed him down. He ran through a red, and I, seeing only red right now, followed him. A car honked and I held my hand up indicating to the driver to let me through. I was wrong to do that, and ordinarily I would NEVER, but I HAD to have words with this guy!

By now he had stopped and had picked up his board. I pulled up behind him, braked and put one foot on the pavement. "HEY!" I shouted. He turned to look at me. "You hit me!" He said nothing, just picked up his board and SWUNG IT AT MY HEAD. In slow motion I ducked and closed my eyes, bracing for unfathomable pain and irreparable damage...nothing happened. I looked up, and for a second we stared at each other, then he dropped his board and zipped down the sidewalk and was gone. I shouted a flurry of F-Bombs at him until I realized the whole intersection was staring at me.

I asked a couple on the sidewalk if he had really just swung his board at me. He had, they confirmed. I briefly told them what had happened just so they wouldn't think I was the agitator. I wished them a good day and rode home.

Now I'm having a glass of wine and re-thinking it. Was I wrong to put my hand up as he passed me head on against traffic so close that his sweatshirt could have snagged my handlebars, causing us both to crash? Was I wrong to follow him after he hit me? Was he wrong to swing at me? Did he maybe think I was attacking him? I was clipped into my bike, and not exactly in a fighting stance. Just shouting and angry. The skateboard could have crushed my face. It all happened so fast. Obviously, in hindsight, I should have just given this idiot room to be reckless and put my head down and gone on my way. It wasn't worth any sort of altercation, verbal or physical. But if we can't even say a word or lift a finger at others who are being reckless and careless for fear that they'll attack us, what kind of world is that?

Just goes to show how unpredictable people can be. Be safe and go fishing.

Road rage got to you, Andrew. Chasing him down is not worth any negative experience.

fortunely, to were alot calmer than I.... I would have ran my bike right threw him....

little f-ers need to be put in there place!

glad you're okay....

Coming close to hurting you doesn't count.  If a cop had come along, it's likely that you, the guy doing the chasing, would have been the one in trouble, not the guy running from you, no matter what he did to get you to chase him to begin with. 

You initiated the situation by raising your hand.  He 'protected' himself and fled from you.  You chased him and displayed anger with witnesses in earshot. He kept his mouth shut and again defended himself, then left.  That's what an eyewitness report will say.  Your reasoning for taking the actions you did are not defensible. 

If you are ever to do something like that again, take the cue from him; make it look like it could have been an accident to any eye witnesses.  Don't tell a cop you chased him and ran him down.  Without a word, take his board and hit HIM with it, or some other object.  You are now there to 'help' him, a victim of a tragic, but completely innocent skate boarding accident. 

But my advice is to never do something like that again.  Stuff like that has a way of changing your destiny for ever and not for the best. 

Skateboarders are pedestrians according to the CA DMV.  They don't belong in the street or bike lanes with few exceptions, like crosswalks or designated crossings, marked or unmarked.

Coming close to hurting you doesn't count.  If a cop had come along, it's likely that you, the guy doing the chasing, would have been the one in trouble, not the guy running from you, no matter what he did to get you to chase him to begin with. 

You initiated the situation by raising your hand.  He 'protected' himself and fled from you.  You chased him and displayed anger with witnesses in earshot. He kept his mouth shut and again defended himself, then left.  That's what an eyewitness report will say.  Your reasoning for taking the actions you did are not defensible. 

If you are ever to do something like that again, take the cue from him; make it look like it could have been an accident to any eye witnesses.  Don't tell a cop you chased him and ran him down.  Without a word, take his board and hit HIM with it, or some other object.  You are now there to 'help' him, a victim of a tragic, but completely innocent skate boarding accident. 

But my advice is to never do something like that again.  Stuff like that has a way of changing your destiny for ever and not for the best.

Ummmmmmm... no to all of this. Did you over react?  Maybe but the bottom line is he is the one that was the instigator and in the wrong.  Not to mention he committed a felony when he swing his board at your head. Pc 245a1.

In a younger and much angrier day I would have beat him with his own skate board. It's amazing what family and years can do to change one's perspective. Today I just let it go.

Just let it go.

Well, I can see both POV's on this one...  but someone needs to call people on their shit.  Good on you for being reasonable, for the most part.

IMO one of the problems today is some people think they can get away with anything.  And sometimes they do, because some folks believe some of the sentiment expressed in this thread, (ie, you are in the wrong to say something, and that could escalate things, he could shoot you- ok, I'm exaggerating but some folks really think that way).

You are a good man.  Don't over think it.

Just remember there are cameras everywhere....Big brother is watching.

Glad you are OK

Glad you're ok Andrew!  Raising your hand to let this guy know his wild riding was endangering you wasn't wrong......... & it was chicken-shit for him to hit you as he passed. Karma will catch up with the punk.

next time raise an elbow.

Your reasoning for taking the actions you did are not defensible.

 

My actions consisted mostly of harsh language and ducking to protect my head.

Don't tell a cop you chased him and ran him down.  Without a word, take his board and hit HIM with it, or some other object.  You are now there to 'help' him, a victim of a tragic, but completely innocent skate boarding accident. 

My intention was never to hit or assault the guy. I just wanted a few words with him. You're suggesting a calculated physical assault to fabricate how the cops would see the end-scenario. I can't tell if you're joking.

You initiated the situation by raising your hand. 

Call me crazy, but I think he initiated the situation by charging at me head on and nearly colliding with me. I raised my hand in a shrug. I wasn't reaching for him or trying to hit him. I was going 5MPH uphill, he was going 20MPH downhill. He was going the wrong way on the street on a skateboard. Two laws broken. Plus he hit me. That's an assault, is it not? Another law broken. You have some good points. I followed after him. Dumb. I yelled at him. Dumb. But I never was aggressive in terms of physical contact (chasing after him and stopping short 8 feet away don't count IMO). I was clipped into my bike with my hands on the handlebars when he swung his board at me. Words do NOT justify physical assault. It's fair to say he tried to kill me and I'm at fault because I "initiated" the incident by raising my hand?

What ever happened to public arrest? If you would have pinned him down, the cops certainly would have been called. When they arrived and you had him pinned down, could you have told them what your reasoning was? Is that even a thing any more (if it ever was)?

What ever happened to public arrest? If you would have pinned him down, the cops certainly would have been called. When they arrived and you had him pinned down, could you have told them what your reasoning was? Is that even a thing any more (if it ever was)?

You mean citizen's arrest? Yeah that's still a thing. I citizen's-arrested a guy once. He attacked me at a bar un-provoked. He told the cops I was giving him "bad vibes."

I had no intention of doing that here. Just wanted to give him my two cents. My lesson is it's not worth it.

Glad you r ok. narly story.