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LAPD says it has closed its investigation into the case of biker Susanna Schick, who says that she was intentionally hit by a car in a crash that left her hospitalized.A representative from the LAPD wrote in an e-mail to Streetsblog that the agency was closing the case because it didn't have any evidence to suggest that Schick's crash was caused by a hit-and-run.
Schick, a veteran cyclist, said that she got into a verbal altercation with the driver of a white Lexus while she was biking down Spring Street on a Friday night. A surveillance video shows that the car had swerved into the biking lane just moments before. A block further south Schick crashed and her injuries were bad enough that she could be hospitalized for more than two months.
Captain Horace Frank told the blog that the agency's investigation determined Schick simply fell off her bike:
We have closed this investigation. There has been no evidence to support a crime. All indications are that she fell off her bike. The officers did not witness any altercation between Ms. Schick and the motorist. She is the one who reported the verbal altercation. The officers did not witness the vehicle cut her off so they could not issue the driver. A ticket. The speeds were estimate based on the officers pacing her and based on her own statements.
Streetsblog and others in the biking community have been skeptical of the way that the LAPD has handled the case. That's in part because of the bad blood between the agency and bikers, and in part because the investigation didn't strike advocates as being very thorough. Streetsblog has a timeline of the events and laments: "We’ll probably never know what actually happened between Schick and the Lexus driver with 100% certainty. While Schick’s missing memory is common for these kinds of crashes, the LAPD’s account of the crash has left many cyclists scratching their heads as well."Related:
Susanna Schick Speaks Out about Biking Accident, Is Certain She Was Hit by Car
Police Rule Out Hit-and-Run in Susanna Schick Case, Say the Experienced Cyclist 'Fell Down on Her Bicycle'
Cyclist Hospitalized After Alleged Road Rage Attack in Downtown
