A 33-year-old man was hospitalized after being caught by a gang of motorcyclists following a chase through New York City highways into city streets on Sunday.
DNAinfo New York reported that the beginning of the encounter was caught on a helmet camera worn by one of the riders. The video shows the man rear-ending one of the bikers with his SUV while traveling on the Henry Hudson Parkway Sunday afternoon.
Instead of stopping, however, the man drives off, reportedly hitting three more bikers while trying to get away from the group, and initiating the chase. At one point, the SUV is nearly surrounded but it manages to drive off before one of the bikers can open the door. The video stops shortly after the man's escape is cut off by street traffic on 178th Street, when one of the riders takes his helmet off and hits the SUV's windshield.
According to the New York Daily News, the driver, identified as Alexian Lien, was pulled out of his vehicle, then hit and slashed in the face and chest with a knife. He was treated and released at a local hospital on Sunday.
No arrests have been made in connection with the attack, but Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said at a press conference on Monday that 15 bikers were arrested and 55 motorcycles were confiscated for traffic violations. The group reportedly included motorcyclists from around the city's five boroughs who are part of the "Hollywood Stuntz" bikers social group.
"Their ultimate goal is to get into Times Square, which they did last year," Kelly said of the convergence of riders on the city. "Quite frankly, it wasn't on anyone's radar screen last year. We were aware of it this year and did a fair amount of enforcement."
Watch video of the chase, posted on YouTube on Monday by user "Daphne Avalon," below.
