Berkeley hit-and-run crash caught by biker's camera

BERKELEY, Calif. (KGO) -- A bicycle crash video is going viral and police now have a suspect in custody. The crash happened Wednesday on Tunnel Road in Berkeley.

The lead cyclist seen in the video is Brazilian racer Bruno Gregory. He was on a training ride with another rider (who had a camera mounted on his bike) when a 1995 black Acura comes in across the shoulder strip, takes out both riders and then speeds away.

Neither rider was serious hurt, but the driver of the Acura never knew that.

Video techs that saw this were able to freeze the picture and enhance the license plate and get a number. The car is registered 43-year-old Michael Medaglia at his parents' house in Alameda. ABC7 spoke with his parents, who said their son was not driving and reported his car stolen, but that he reported the theft Wednesday night some time after the time of the accident.

"I've never seen a case like this it's actually very rare to even hear of someone being hit from behind like that," East Bay Bicycle Coalition Executive Director Rene Rivera said.

Rivera says cars hit bikes all the time, but usually it's a driver opening a car door into an oncoming bike or turning right across a bike lane without looking.

"Those are the two unfortunately that we see quite a bit," Rivera said.

In the case of Tunnel Road, the city of Berkeley is planning to upgrade the bicycle traffic plan. Dave Campbell is program director at the East Bay Bicycle Coalition; he says a designated bike lane will be a start.

"It's going to also need motorists slowing down and just staying aware," Rivera said.

"This is always a tricky spot here because people are really, really taking off here; there's not enough shoulder," Berkeley resident Uri Talmon said.

Bike riders on Tunnel Road say speeding cars are the big threat.

Patricia Gramberg lives a couple of doors from where the riders were hit.

"Well, it's very hard for me to get out of my drive way, obviously," Gramberg said.

Berkeley police made an arrest on Friday night. There were also reports Oakland police may have found that car in the Glenview neighborhood of Oakland.

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bikes, hit and run, crash, berkeley, caught on tape, east bay news, mark matthews

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