An elderly motorist is accused of driving through a group of bicyclists in Georgia – knocking one over and fracturing his spine – before speeding off in a hit-and-run that was caught on camera.
Jerry Wayne Ross, 72, flashed a wide grin in his booking photo as he faces charges for the alleged hit-and-run with his Honda Pilot, all caught on video, on April 23 in Cherokee County, Ga, according to Fox 5 Atlanta.
The North Georgia Cycling Association was on their weekly Thursday night ride when the older driver was accused of driving up on the group in a suspected road rage incident.
The cycling group was in the middle of its 32-mile ride through Cherokee County when Ross appeared behind them, blasting his horn for nearly two miles along Sugar Pike Rd in Canton.
“Just excessive. Didn’t let off the horn,” Richard Collins, the leader of the group, told Fox 5 Atlanta.
The cyclists were riding double-wide along the scenic, rural road when Ross allegedly floored forward, alongside the leading pack of the group, according to video captured by one of the cyclists and obtained by the outlet.
Ross is believed to have pulled up alongside the first group of cyclists, striking one of the riders with his passenger side mirror.
“I turned to my left to see it, at that moment, that vehicle was on my left leg,” he said.
The cyclists, who became tangled up by the bump, collided into the side of Ross’ car and crashed onto the pavement.
The vehicle sped away as Collins was left lying in the road.
Collins said he sustained road rash on his shoulder, elbow and knee and was treated by paramedics who were called to the scene.
He was later examined by an orthopedist and discovered he had suffered a fracture to his lower spine, he told the outlet.
Both cyclists were treated at the scene for minor injuries.
Ross was found hiding out at a neighbor’s house down the road after officials from the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office spotted damage to his SUV consistent with hitting a bicycle.
The suspected driver told authorities that he had encountered the group of cyclists but denied responsibility, blaming the bikers for the collision, saying the riders had been in the middle of the road, Fox 5 Atlanta reported.
Ross was arrested and charged with two counts of aggravated assault, aggressive driving, hit-and-run and failing to maintain distance, according to jail records viewed by The Post.
He remains behind bars in the Cherokee County Jail with his charges totaling $24,540.
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