Warrant Issued for 16-Year-Old Accused of Throwing Objects Hurling Racial Slurs at Black Tennessee Cyclist [Updated]
Screenshot Charles Peacock.
Updated: Tuesday, July 17, 2018; 3:15p.m. EDT: Chattanooga, Tenn., police have tracked down the driver of the vehicle from which a passenger allegedly threw bottles and cans at a black cyclist.
According to WRCBTV, the driver acknowledged that the incident occurred when questioned by police and identified the passenger who is accused of throwing items at the cyclist, Charles Peacock.
The suspect is 16 years old, and police have filed a warrant in juvenile court. The suspect, however, has yet to be located.
According to the news station, the police department says that they will aggressively investigate any assault against vulnerable road users like cyclists and pedestrians.
Earlier:
A Chattanooga, Tenn., cyclist was assaulted and called racial slurs while riding his bike along his usual route in an incident that left his arm swollen.
Charles Peacock, the cyclist, captured the incident himself through the three cameras that he has mounted on his helmet and bike that were recording during his ride down Hickory Valley Road, according to WRCBTV.
The incident occurred last Monday. Peacock’s cameras show a black Ford Edge SUV driving up behind him, two white people clearly visible from a passenger window and the sunroof.
“He was about 20 to 25 yards behind me. He was already out of the window from his waist, drawn back with the object in his hand, getting ready to throw it,” Peacock said.
As the SUV passed, he felt something – which looked like an empty bottle – hit his arm.
“After they threw it, they said ‘I got that (expletive) N-word,’” the cyclist recalled.
“I couldn’t get a good look at him. Like I said my main focus right then was keeping control of that bike and keep from running out into traffic and getting hit,” he added.
The assault left Peacock’s arm sore and severely bruised.
“It was just uncalled for,” he added, noting that it’s not the first time he’s been met by animosity while out riding his bike. “That’s not the first time I had a racial slur said to me while riding a bike, but as far as someone to actually throw something at me like that, I feel like that’s going too far.”
However, despite his bandaged arm, Peacock remains in good spirits, laughing through it all.
“They’re not going to run me away. I’m going to keep riding,” he said defiantly.
As for the human trash bags that through the object, police are still looking for them. The Ford Edge’s tag number is R17 84N. Anyone with information is encouraged to call the police.