Guilty Verdict For Man Who Attacked Cyclists

FORT COLLINS, Colo. (CBS4)- A jury in Fort Collins has found a man guilty of menacing after he attacked a group of cyclists while swinging a baseball bat in July 2010.

Bryce Barker, 24, was found guilty in court at the Larimer County Justice Center on Friday for criminal mischief and menacing with a deadly weapon.

The incident happened on July 18, 2010 near Berthoud in a rural part of the county. Rider Joe Stevens told The Coloradoan that Barker was driving and pulled in front of him and the people he was riding with. He then waved his bat and said he was "tired of us old guys from Boulder hogging the road."

"I just picked up the bike … and he hit the bike and I dropped it and stepped back, and there was another car that pulled up and broke his momentum, I guess," Stevens said.

After that, sheriff's officials said Barker tried to swing at Stevens with the bat but hit his bike, which Stevens was trying to use to defend himself. The bike, worth $4,800, was destroyed as Barker then beat on it before driving off.

Barker remains free on bond. He will be sentenced in April and faces up to three years in prison. Prosecutors said it is much more likely Barker will be sentenced to probation with the possibility of spending some time in jail.

Prosecutors plan to argue for restitution so Barker can pay back the cost of the damage to the bicycle.