Video captures Calif. hit-and-run, leads to arrest

A handlebar-mounted camera captured a hit-and-run in Berkeley, Calif., Wednesday, April 25, 2012, in which two bicyclists were struck by a black vehicle. The video was posted on YouTube and led to the arrest of a suspect. / YouTube/brunogfmtube

(CBS News) BERKELEY, Calif. - Police have arrested an Oakland man who allegedly hit two bicyclists with his car and then fled - an incident caught on video by one of the cyclist's bike-mounted camera.

The hit-and-run occurred around 4:30 p.m. Wednesday on Tunnel Road in Berkeley, where the bicyclists were traveling east and were struck by a car traveling in the same direction, according to police.

One of the cyclists had a camera mounted on his handlebars. The video, posted on YouTube by brunogfmtube, shows a black car veer into both bicyclists at about the 2:40 mark.

The video had more than 100,000 views on YouTube as of Saturday morning.

According to CBS Station KPIX, Police Capt. Andrew Greenwood said the driver of the black vehicle did not stop afterward, as is required by law, so police treated it as a hit-and-run.

The riders, both of whom were wearing helmets, had abrasions from hitting the road but did not require hospitalization, according to Greenwood.

After the incident Wednesday, the suspect, Michael Medaglia, reported to the Oakland Police Department that his car had been stolen. A police alert was placed on the car.

KPIX reports that Oakland police found the vehicle Friday morning and alerted the Berkeley Police Department. After an examination of the vehicle, Berkeley police were led to Jack London Inn in Oakland, where officers contacted Medaglia late Friday afternoon.

He was arrested on suspicion of possession of heroin, felon in possession of ammunition, violation of probation and felony hit-and-run.

[dontrenigin12]

wow,,that first 2 and a half min was agonizing,,why the hell dont you get to the point,,,,,,,,,

[arizray1]

Duh, let's see, Gee was that a stop sign?? Nah, no need to obey that particular law. Wheee.

[hriverajr]

The primary reason people complain about bicyclists is that its an inconvenience to them. No one wants to be bothered about anything any more. Many its seems.. want the perfect world..

[miguell2]

Several times lately I have almost been hit by bicyclists who routinely run stop signs, even red lights, somehow imagining that they have that right. It's high time that bicyclists pay their fair share of road building/maintenance costs and time for them to obey all traffic laws, laws which all of the rest of us have to obey!

Sounds like the driver has his own issues regarding the law, and he should have stopped. But the liberals who like bicyclists breaking traffic laws (and getting a free ride on their riding costs to the community) also like to let criminals out of jail, so it seems here that everything worked out equal, no real harm done.

Daily bike riders should pay at minimum $75 a year for that privilege.

[hriverajr]

What type of maintenance are you talking about.. really a bike? I have nearly been hit by people texting and not paying attention when they drive. Not all bikers break the rules, just like all drivers don't either.

[sporgo]

No matter who is at fault it is always the cyclist who gets seriously injured in an accident. Drivers are insulated by steel cages and are charged with the responsibility of operating such vehicles is a safe fashion. This often means yielding and stopping to avoid other road users who may be in violation of the law. Because someone else did not follow the law does not give you the right to kill or maim then. Learn to control your childish frustrations or turn in your operators license. Most of the cyclists I know own several vehicles and are paying their fair share of road taxes.

[jkstewart2]

I'm surprised that there wasn't an attempted murder. It's obvious that the driver went out of his lane to hit the cyclist.

[gator man]

Lots of saracastic comments here, frustrated drivers commenting about the cyclists driving, with any cyclists blindly defending the cyclists. But I think the video does bring up some fair questions. Are cyclists to be treated like any other vehicle, and if so, why aren't they required to follow the same rules? This is very typical of my experience with cyclists. They jump into the middle of the lane, like they're just a slower vehicle. Then, at a red light, they pass up all the cars to get to the front, go through the red light, and then after the light suddenly become a car again, and take a full lane.

These guys ran through two stop signs, and repeatedly pulled near or into another lane when their lane was blocked, without signalling or looking.

I also couldn't help but notice, when they were hit, there was an available sidewalk they could have been on. I'm sure the suggestion they should be on the sidewalk would be met with outrage.

So, go ahead cyclists, cover youself with your indignation, along with bandages, IV's, casts, and caskets.

[sporgo]

You sir are a complete loon. A cyclist has every right to enter another lane when encountering obstacles. Other road users must yield for this like they would for any other vehicle swerving to avoid debris, there is no requirement that you look first but using a mirror is a good idea. Riding on the sidewalk is incredibly dangerous. Also sloppy expansion joints can damage road bikes at cruising speed, you are ignorant of this because you probably cant get your huffy above 5mph on the flats.

[roadbikr]

As someone who is road biking regularly it is interesting (read outrageous) to hear someone (speaking as a driver) who obviously has no regard whatsoever for the safety of the cycling community. I have motorists almost every time I ride pass me on blind turns, approaching the tops of hills and basically driving as though I am not on the road at all. If just once they could put themselves in the place of the cyclist whose life they endanger every time they do things like that then they might realize how dangerous and deadly their behavior is. Bikers rarely do anything more than simply inconvenience drivers who all seem to take the attitude that they (and wherever they are going) are so much more important than the life and limb of the cyclist instead of slowing down and waiting for a safe opportunity to pass; and people wonder why I never ride without my pepper spray.

[rick_rollington]

Completely unsurprising that the retards who read Drudge Report think the bicyclists deserved it.

They're such fat pigs from eating all that southern fried food that anyone who exercises is automatically a communist.

Morons.

[joinamerica]

I live here and anyone who rides a bicycle on Tunnel Road is a damn fool. There's too many cars, moving too fast, and to many parked cars in the bike lane. It's an accident waiting to happen. And yes, the driver of the car should be in jail for not stopping.

[JJChroniclescom]

Rick:

I have cycled all my life, and it's clear that you haven't learned the most important lesson. You can run all the stop signs you want, compete for road space with cars and be a self-important, self righteous rider, and when you do battle with a car, you will lose.
Darwin at work.
You have a high regard for you own intelligence, but you don't have the most basic understanding of physics.
In California, drivers get tickets for running/rolling through stop signs. This doesn't say that the two riders deserved to be hit or were at fault. They were clearly not at fault. It is just interesting how many laws they broke before being hit. It was only a matter of time before they got in an accident.

[errodr]

Why is it so hard for people to understand? Cars roll stop signs ALL of the time, why can't I roll signs on my bike? A bike rolling a stop sign is a non-issue.

About the "tights"... Do you think you look any better with your NASCAR t-shirts and beer bellies?

[JJChroniclescom]

You can ride through stop signs and lights as long as you are willing to accept the tickets. In California, a rolling stop is viewed as no stop and drivers are ticketed for the so-called "California Stop" all of the time.

[sid1966sid]

did anyone see the Obama sticker on the guys car ?

[VoodooMojo]

With hindsight, if the bike riders would have stopped at the stop sign for any duration at all, they would have missed the impact zone timing. They would have not been in harm's way.

[sid1966sid]

u are 100 % correct. they wanna be vehicles than act like it. they ran a stop sign and should be cited for it

[sporgo]

Ridiculous. Its obvious that the driver swerved to hit them on purpose.

[crismahn]

Man I lost track of the number of traffic laws these guys broke during the video- in less than 5 minutes. Kinda funny them whining about the driver of he car breaking the law when they seem to also have zero regard for it. No sympathy here for anybody.