By Ole Braatelien October 11, 2024 at 2:00pm
Footage of an angry cyclist’s meltdown on a driver and the subsequent arrival of police went viral Monday.
The actual incident took place Sept. 28 in Park City, Utah.
Gary Peacock, 73, was biking along when a Subaru, he claimed, drove too close to him. The driver, 22-year-old Pierce Kempton, refuted Peacock’s claims, public radio station KPCW reported.
After being passed, Peacock followed Kempton to the skate park nearby, pulling up to the driver’s window.
That’s when Kempton, a professional videographer, began rolling the camera for a six-minute video.
WARNING: The following video contains language that some may find offensive.
@pezkempton #fyp #viral #fypシ #oldman #karen #roadbike #roadrage #dashcam #fight ♬ original sound – Ak40pezin
The footage showed a hostile Peacock repeatedly forcing Kempton’s door open.
Do you think the cyclist was in the wrong?
“I’m calling the police, and you’re not leaving. You’re not leaving,” Peacock said.
When Kempton tried exiting the car, Peacock put his hands on Kempton in an apparent attempt to stop him.
“Why are you so cranky?” Kempton repeatedly asked.
The heated exchange continued as Peacock dialed the police.
“Yeah, I have a very aggressive teenager here that almost hit me in the car, and now he won’t give me his last name, and now he’s trying to leave,” he told the dispatcher.
Peacock’s aggression continued.
“I’m riding a bike; I have more rights than you,” Peacock told the young driver. “I have the right-of-way when I’m on a bike. Do you ride a bike?”
Kempton’s skateboarder friend eventually showed up, and Peacock complained to the police about him as well.
“These two are trying to intimidate me,” Peacock told the dispatcher. “This guy tried to leave; this guy came, and he’s trying to intimidate me.”
The friend, who appeared to be Kempton’s age, stood about a car length away and simply smiled at Kempton.
By this time, police sirens echoed in the background.
Upon arrival, Peacock walked up to the officer, but the officer told him to back away.
“I’m the complaining party,” Peacock said.
“Fantastic. Will you go stand over there for a second?” the officer responded.
According to KPCW, the road in question was narrow. “Kempton passed him at the narrowest part of Park Avenue, where the curbs pinch in and the southbound bike lane disappears,” the outlet reported.
Peacock received a disorderly conduct infraction and had to pay a $160 fine, according to KPCW.
Kempton was awarded an infraction for passing too closely, which is a $130 fine. Kempton insisted, however, that he slowed down and gave the cyclist the 3-foot space required by law.
In a subsequent TikTok video, he said his citation was dismissed after he shared his dash cam video with authorities.
“In relation to your citation, I agree with you that the dash cam video you produced after you were cited is exculpatory and I will proceed with a dismissal of your citation,” the assistant city attorney’s note, shared in Kempton’s follow-up post, read.
“Please be advised additional charges for Mr. Peacock cannot be considered as his case was closed by bail forfeiture (payment of a fine) in the Summit County Justice Court.”
Peacock told KPCW he has frequently had close calls while cycling, but this was the first time he’d confronted anyone about it.
“This guy, unfortunately, was the subject of my wrath, because of all these other incidents,” he told the station.
“I lost my temper,” Peacock admitted. “I didn’t go there with the intention of hitting them or doing anything but just telling him, ‘Hey, you came way too close to me. And I’m upset about it. I’m angry about it.’ And then his reaction just set me off.”
Kempton told KPCW his thoughts on Peacock’s conduct.
“I feel like he could have settled that just by telling me with his words,” he said. “I don’t think he needed to be aggressive, and I don’t think he needed to get the law involved.”
Ole Braatelien has written for The Western Journal since 2022. He earned his bachelor’s from ASU’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication.
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