May 14--An argument between a man on a bicycle in downtown San Francisco and a motorist nearly turned deadly Thursday night when the driver allegedly hit and ran over the cyclist, police said.
Taj'zanae Zakira Thomas, an 18-year-old Oakland resident, was driving with two others in her car when she and a 26-year-old man on a bicycle started arguing at 4th and Market streets downtown about 5 p.m., said San Francisco police spokesman Albie Esparza.
Witnesses reported hearing a thud when the bicyclist pounded on Thomas' car, then saw him pull ahead, police said. Then Thomas allegedly hit the man's bicycle, knocking him over. She then drove directly over him and paused, witnesses told police.
Pedestrians who watched the violent encounter rushed in and stood in front of Thomas' car, blocking her escape, Esparza said. The bicyclist was rushed to the hospital with a broken back and pelvis, KRON reported.
Police arrested Thomas on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon. Her passengers were interviewed but not arrested, Esparza said.
Confrontations between bicyclists and drivers in San Francisco are common, Esparza said.
"Outside of Manhattan, there's no other city in America congested like San Francisco ... it can be very tense," he said.
Last summer, a bicyclist was caught on video smashing a U-lock into a car during a monthly Critical Mass ride through city streets.
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