Cyclist assaulted, injured by driver

The driver of a Ford F-150 harassed and punched a bicyclist in the eye on campus earlier this week in an apparent case of road rage.

Victim Zac Taylor and his friend, University of Memphis senior Matthew McCulley, were riding their bikes northbound on Patterson Street followed by the suspect, whom they described as a 6-foot-tall, 235 pound man.

McCulley, who is an English and philosophy double major, said the man tailgated them, illegally coming within inches of their bikes, and tried to run them off the road.

Taylor and McCulley pulled off Patterson Street eastbound onto Desoto Avenue, with the suspect behind, and stopped at the intersection near the Tiger Den, according to the campus police report.

Taylor said they were telling the suspect about the state law requiring vehicles to stay at least three feet behind bicyclists when the suspect climbed out of his truck and punched Taylor, who was still on his bike.

"I hit the ground and was freaking out because I seriously thought he punched my eye into my skull," he said. "He just clocked me in the eye, and I immediately crumpled to the ground."

Campus police do not have a suspect in custody for the assault, which happened on Monday at 6:50 p.m.

"I never even raised my voice," Taylor said. "He kept saying to 'Shut the (expletive deleted) up.' I was shocked when he got out of his truck. I figured he might roll down the window and have something smart to say and drive off."

After the attack, the suspect drove away and the police and ambulance arrived on the scene, Taylor said.

McCulley said the truck driver was angry with them for riding their bikes on the street.

"He was pretty much a Billy Badass inside the truck, and then he proved he was a Billy Badass outside of it," he said.

Taylor said he was taken to the emergency room of the Regional Medical Center at Memphis, where he was given two CT scans.

"He fractured the orbital floor of my right eye," Taylor said. "It was completely swollen shut. He hit me so hard that it completely busted my lip, knocked my jaw and chipped my tooth."

Taylor said he plans to take legal actions as soon as police find the suspect.

"I am pressing charges because that was really uncalled for," he said. "We have to go pick him out of a photo lineup and then see what happens."

Once the suspect is selected from the photo lineup, campus police can assist Taylor in prosecuting him, said Bruce Harber, director of police services at The U of M.

"We've got to get the guy identified and get a warrant," he said. "We gather all the information, and then the judge has to read the warrant and make sure a crime has been committed."

The assault was not the first case of animosity toward cyclists on campus.

Scott Wilson, senior finance major at The U of M, said he relies on his bicycle to get to and from campus - sometimes a dangerous ride.

"I've had people throw bottles at me on Southern Avenue while leaving school," he said. "I almost caught one and threw it back at them once."

Wilson said motorists are oblivious to bikers' rights on the road because they don't understand the laws and think bicyclists should be on the sidewalks.

"People in this city don't understand that bikers have every right to be in the street," he said. "That's why we get lights to put on our bikes, so people will know we're there."

While some students expressed frustration with Memphis drivers, others said the cyclists were a nuisance.

Jasmine Hines, Egyptian archaeology major, said bikers riding in the street slow her down and make her late for class.

"They need to stay off the road and ride on the sidewalk," she said. "It's really annoying."

Keitra Jones, sophomore communications major who is employed in police services, said she dislikes having to slow down for bicyclists and wishes they would stay off the street for their own safety.

"It gets annoying when you're trying to go to class, and you can't run them over," she said. "You can't pass them if there's somebody in the other lane. It's terrible."