A California driver has been charged with attempted murder after allegedly crashing into a motorcyclist and then dragging him across the pavement. The near-fatal incident took place after the driver, Gary Delandro, allegedly cut the motorcyclist off.
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The motorcyclist, who decided to remain anonymous, talked with abc7, recalling how he almost lost his life on Tuesday, April 1. The motorcyclist revealed that he was pulling in front of the La Sierra and the 91 Freeway intersection in Riverside. All of a sudden, the driver, Delandro, cut him off, forcing him to swerve to avoid a collision.
"So I filtered to the front, and yeah I got mad, I'm shaking my head," the motorcyclist told the outlet. "And I looked back, and I see him roll down the window.. and I see him saying something."
The motorcyclist then proceeded to get off his bike and walked toward the driver to confront him.
"So I get off the bike and say 'what's going on, what's your issue?'" he said. "And he says 'why are you shaking your head at me?' and I said 'it's because you cut over as I was coming up,' so he says 'well you're behind me, I'm first,' and I said 'that's not how it works, if you're that upset about that, go seek therapy.'"
The motorcyclist got back on his vehicle and drove off, eventually stopping at another intersection. However, he briefly noticed the driver coming toward him, saying that he was chasing him down.
"I look back, just in time to see the front end of his car squeezing between both cars," he said. "He rear-ends me, knocks me off the bike and then floors it over me."
Dragged
As per the victim, the driver allegedly dragged him and even stepped on the gas. Video footage shows the motorcyclist being dragged through the pavement, screaming while seeing the undercarriage of the car. Eventually, however, the Delandro stopped. The motorcyclist got and and ran toward a sidewalk. Gary Delandro allegedly fled the scene at the time.
However, Gary Delandro, 32, as Riverside police, eventually turned himself in. As per the New York Post, he was charged with attempted murder, hit and run, and assault with a deadly weapon. He is currently being held at the Robert Presley Detention Center on a $1 million bail.
The motorcyclist told abc7 that people like Delandro "don't care about anyone else" and are "dangerous people."
"I know there's a large community of people who dislike the fact that we split lanes, but there is a safety measure to it," he added. "There's a reason why California permits it, there's a safe way to do it, there's a not smart way to do it, but at the end of the day... it shouldn't warrant trying to kill somebody."
