Bikers Attack SUV in NYC, Beat Driver in Front of Family; Arrest Made

A gang of bikers terrorized a family during a high-speed chase through New York City on Sunday that ended with a 33-year-old man being dragged from his Range Rover SUV and severely beaten in front of his wife and 2-year-old daughter. A New Jersey motorcyclist was arrested on Tuesday for his role in the incident.

The chase and related attack lasted nearly half an hour in the middle of the day and ranged over more than 50 city blocks – all without any apparent notice by New York Police Department.

The incident began on the West Side Highway about 1 p.m. when a member of the biker gang, known as Hollywood Stuntz, intentionally slowed his motorcycle in front of the SUV driven by Alexian Lien, 33, resulting in the vehicle hitting the bike.

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Several of the bikers began swarming the vehicle and eventually forced Lien to stop in the middle of the road.

Lien's SUV then plowed through the pack of bikers, running over at least one. Dozens of bikers then pursued the vehicle, leading to a six-minute high-speed chase on the West Side Highway, past Harlem and into Washington Heights. The SUV had apparently been slowed after its tires were slashed by the bikers, the New York Post reported.

Once in congested in Washington Heights, the SUV was stopped by other traffic and the bikers surrounded it, with one biker using his helmet to bash-in the driver's side window. A second biker was seen punching the rear window of the SUV.

Lien was dragged out of the SUV and beaten so severely that doctors fear he might be left a paraplegic, sources told the Post. He was at Columbia University Medical Center with multiple injuries, including two black eyes and stiches to his face and chest.

The violence was captured on the helmet cam of one of the bikers and on security cameras at a nearby gas station. A video (below) was later posted to YouTube.

Christopher Cruz, 28, who police said initiated the incident by slowing down in front of the SUV, was charged with reckless endangerment, reckless driving, menacing and endangering the welfare of a child, ABC News reported.

Police said they are investigating the incident.

According to Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly, the Hollywood Stuntz wanted to congregate in Times Square earlier on Sunday, but that plan was nixed by the NYPD due to past problems involving the bikers, the Post reported. Fifty-five bikes were confiscated and more than a dozen bikers were arrested.

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Last year, "they drove down Broadway [with] over 1,000 motorcycles, dirt bikes, quads," Kelly said during a press conference about the assault. "So there was an intention to do that again this year, but because of [police] checkpoints and enforcement in the outer boroughs, they weren’t able to make it."

Lien won't be charged, according to Kelly.



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