A bicycle commuter was assaulted by a driver and her passenger on Scott Street between Oak and Fell Streets on the Wiggle last week.
Dana Kess, 24, of Pacifica and Carmen Struell, 25, of San Francisco were arrested on Tuesday, May 8, for crashing into and beating the 31-year-old San Francisco woman and vandalizing her bike, said SFPD Park Station Captain John Feeney.
According to the police report, the bicyclist was merging into the left-turn bike lane northbound on Scott Street across Oak at around 9:15 a.m., when Kess came dangerously close to hitting her, forcing her to swerve away. When the victim caught up with the car waiting at the stop light, she yelled, "Are you fucking crazy?" according to the report. Struell then threw food from the window at the victim, who then spat towards the car.
Then, Feeney said, Kess reportedly drove into the victim from behind, causing her to fall to the ground. Both Kess and Struell got out of the car and began assaulting her, jumping on her bike and slashing her tires. The two got back in the car and began to drive away when the victim threw her bicycle toward the car. The two got back out and attacked the victim again, pulling her hair. The victim did not need hospital treatment for her injuries, according to the report.
Police then arrived on the scene in response to a report of a traffic collision and arrested the assailants. Kess was charged with felony assault and battery, malicious mischief, and driving with a suspended license. Struell, her passenger, was charged with misdemeanor battery.
San Francisco Bicycle Coalition Executive Director Leah Shahum said that "while San Francisco streets are getting safer for people riding bikes, we are saddened that incidents like this one still occur. Assaults against other road users should not be tolerated, and we are encouraged that the San Francisco Police Department and District Attorney’s Offices are taking assaults like these seriously."
