Motorcyclist convicted of aggravated assault after viral video showed him smashing in woman's windshield
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - A motorcyclist seen in a viral video smashing a driver's rear windshield near City Hall in Philadelphia has now pleaded guilty to aggravated assault and other charges.
Cody Heron, 27, was seen on video near City Hall filmed Oct. 1, 2023, running his bike into delivery driver Nikki Bullock's car door, leading to an argument.
When Bullock got out of her car to confront him, police said Heron pulled out a gun and then headbutted her. Bullock reacted by pushing Heron and his motorcycle down.
Heron was also seen jumping up and down on Bulllock's car.
When he smashed the rear window, it sent shards of glass onto two young children inside the car, prosecutors said Thursday.
Following the incident, two men teamed up to replace Bullock's back window for free after they saw the viral video of the incident. Otto Hernandez with Auto Glass LLC installed the new glass.
We spoke to him on Thursday over Zoom following the District Attorney Office's announcement on the conviction.
"I wish she gets closure at the end of the day because some people, they don't get that and for some people that's everything," Hernandez said.
READ MORE: How 2 men helped the woman who had her car window smashed in viral Center City video
Nikki Bullock was driving in her car with her 2-year-old and a 5-year-old in the backseat and her girlfriend in the front seat.
Her car was stopped at a red light at 1400 Penn Square when a group of motorbikes surrounded her car.
Video from a tourist on a double-decker sightseeing bus went viral and police said the video was used in their investigation.
The District Attorney's Office said Heron pleaded guilty Wednesday to aggravated assault and other related charges.
"This is a shot over the bow to the dirt bike riders in this city that we are done with dirt bikes. We're going to do everything we can to prosecute when these cases are brought to us," Bill Fritze, supervisor of the Gun Violence Task Force, said at a news conference Thursday.
Assistant District Attorney Fernanda Sandoval said prosecutors were ready for a trial.
Evidence included text messages from Heron saying he was trying to change the color of his bike so that it would be less recognizable to law enforcement, Sandoval said.
She said she had spoken to Bullock and her mother about Heron's plea.
"They're both incredibly happy that this situation has gone to rest," Sandoval said. "We have spoken to them and they're happy that they can move past this."
Court records show Heron's sentencing is scheduled for June 2024.