77-Year-Old Man Shot During Fight With Dirt Bikers Was Defending Himself, Daughter Says
WORCESTER (CBS) - It was a terrifying moment captured on a cellphone by a passing driver. A 77-year-old man in a violent encounter with a dirt biker who had surrounded his car while he and a 74-year-old friend were at a red light on Route 20 in Worcester on Wednesday.
Other bikers also pelted the car with rocks according to his daughters who don't want to be identified to protect him. "They threw boulders through the window of the car. My dad was looking back and said something is going to happen," she told WBZ.
He was shot in the leg as he tried to put the biker in a headlock, his friend hit in the face with a rock, happening just as they were driving to have dinner.
"I heard not a bang, but a crack, it was loud," said witness Dave Abramo.
Video shows the dirt biker taking off and police also released a picture of the man they are searching for. The daughters say their father was just trying to defend himself in this situation. "My dad doesn't do anything he knows he shouldn't do. He was absolutely trying to defend himself."
Police say illegal dirt bikes have become a serious problem on roads around Worcester and police have increased dedicated patrols to try to handle the situation. "They recovered 75 or 80 illegal dirt bikes last year and at least 80 percent of them were stolen," said Worcester police Lt. Sean Murtha. "These people on bikes are not teenage joyriders, they are involved in serious criminal activity a lot of the time."
In this case, police say the bikers were riding erratically trying to intimidate drivers. The daughters are shocked it came to this with their father. "It's going to be a long recovery. But he's a healthy 77-year-old who doesn't skip a beat."
