Texas cyclist shoots driver who deliberately crashed into his riding partner

A cyclist in Houston, Texas, shot a driver who had crashed into another rider – with the city’s police department saying that he was justified in pulling the trigger, because he feared for his life.

The incident happened in the city’s East End at the weekend, reports ABC 13 Eyewitness News.

The motorist, 26-year-old Jose Angel Hernandez, is alleged to have shouted at a couple cycling to get off the road as he drove his vehicle at a woman, apparently on purpose.

The man she was riding with then opened fire on the driver –carrying a concealed weapon is permitted in Texas under licence, although even that requirement will be scrapped from 1 September.

A police officer at the scene was reported as saying: “He was in fear of his life, and he was trying to defend himself.”

The cyclists were said to be “okay” following the incident, while Hernandez was taken to hospital for treatment for unspecified injuries and has since been charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon – in other words, his car.

Local cycle campaign group Bike Houston said on Twitter: “While we do not recommend people carry a weapon while riding their bikes, this incident shows that the threat of traffic violence is enough to convince some bicyclists that they must.”