Motorcyclist who hit SLO protester appears in court on reckless driving charge
A San Luis Obispo motorcyclist charged with reckless driving for striking a Black Lives Matter protester with his bike in a downtown crosswalk made his first court appearance via Zoom Monday.
David Medzyk, 59, entered no plea to the single misdemeanor charge at his arraignment, which was continued to Dec. 2.
During the remote hearing, Superior Court Judge Hernaldo Baltodano directed the prosecution to send all evidence in the case to the public defender’s office for Medzyk’s defense.
Reckless driving is defined under state law as “driving a vehicle with a willful or wanton disregard for the safety of others.”
If convicted, Medzyk faces a maximum penalty of six months in County Jail and a $1,000 fine.
His public defender, Angela McNulty, did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday.
Video captured the Sept. 2 incident in which Medzyk is seen idling his bike at the intersection of Higuera and Osos streets as he waited to turn left onto Higuera while protesters were crossing the street, heading southward.
After leaving the frame, Medzyk’s bike suddenly surges onto the scene, forcing a protester to leap out of the way just in time to avoid being directly hit. The woman was slightly struck in the leg and is seen bracing herself for impact with her arm as Medzyk speeds through.
After the incident, Medzyk posted on social media that he drove to the police station and filed a report claiming those in the crosswalk attempted to knock his motorcycle down.
“SLOPD reviewed videos of the incident taken by bystanders and concluded that the videos and other evidence do not depict any physical interaction between the pedestrians and the motorcycle, other than when Mr. Medzyk’s motorcycle hit (the protester) as Mr. Medzyck accelerated around the corner and through the crosswalk,” a police news release later said.
Despite the contradictory evidence, police did not recommend a charge of filing a false police report, but recommended that the District Attorney’s Office file the reckless driving charge.
Two protesters who were crossing the street but not hit by Medzyk were cited by the city with administrative infractions for allegedly walking outside the crosswalk.
