A driver who was recording a group of motorcyclists with his cell phone on US Highway 101 near Belmont Sunday morning hit two of the motorcyclists, prompting some of them to assault him, according to the California Highway Patrol.
Redwood City police officers received a report of a collision involving a Toyota Prius and multiple motorcyclists on Highway 101 near the Ralston Avenue exit around 8 a.m., CHP Officer Arturo Montiel said.
While en route to the scene, officers received reports that several motorcycle riders were assaulting the Prius driver, he said.
Arriving officers did not witness the assault, but located four motorcycles in one lane, a Prius stopped two lanes over and at least 20 other motorcyclists at the scene, according to Montiel.
Officers learned that the motorcyclists had been traveling north in the left-most lane while the Prius driver was driving two lanes over to the right, the CHP officer said.
For unknown reasons, the Prius driver was using his cell phone to videotape the motorcyclists as he was driving, according to the CHP. When traffic in front of the car slowed, the driver braked hard and swerved to the left to avoid a crash, colliding with a motorcyclist in the left-hand lane in the process.
The car then collided with the center divider and bounced back, hitting another motorcycle before coming to a stop in the roadway's third lane, Montiel said.
Two more motorcyclists traveling near the back of the pack lost control in an attempt to avoid the crash in their path.
One motorcyclist, 43-year-old Michael Manner of San Bruno, suffered broken ribs and a collapsed lung in the collision and was taken to San Francisco General Hospital, according to the CHP.
The Prius driver, identified only as a 19-year-old San Jose man, and motorcyclists 48-year-old Fernando Robles of San Bruno and Reggie Santos, 31, of Castro Valley, were each taken to hospitals with minor injuries. Another motorcyclist, 46-year-old David Ramirez of San Carlos, was transported to a private residence with a broken leg, according to the CHP.
Montiel said the collision and alleged assault remain under investigation, and it is unclear whether alcohol or drugs were a factor in the crash.
Multiple lanes near the scene of the crash remained closed for about 30 minutes Sunday morning.
--Bay City News
