Man accused of intentionally crashing into bicyclist during road rage incident
Dec 11, 2024, 8:54 PM | Updated: Dec 12, 2024, 4:17 pm
EAGLE MOUNTAIN – A man is facing charges after police said he intentionally rammed his car into a bicyclist during a road rage incident Wednesday.
Daven Smith, 57, is facing charges for one count of aggravated assault, one count of failure to stay in one lane, one count of reckless driving, one count of unsafe lane travel, and one count of operating a motor vehicle near a vulnerable user of a highway, according to an affidavit.
Documents state that on Wednesday, police were dispatched to Pony Express and Redwood Rd. after an accident involving a vehicle and a bicycle was reported.
Police said they arrived to find a man sitting on the curb with a torn shirt, and his bicycle was lying in a patch of grass nearby. Police said they also saw Smith in his SUV parked on the road.
The bicyclist reportedly told police he was riding his bicycle eastbound on Pony Express when Smith began driving alongside him. The two “engaged in a confrontation” about the use of the bike lane, and Smith “attempted to run him off the roadway,” the affidavit states.
According to police, the bicyclist said the passenger side of Smith’s SUV “made impact with the victim and his bicycle causing him to crash.”
Smith reportedly told police he was trying to warn the bicyclist to stay in the bike lane for his safety “because he was in the middle of the roadway,” and he didn’t intend to crash into him. Smith also told police that the bicyclist punched and broke his driver-side mirror during the interaction, per the affidavit.
A probable cause statement said that multiple witnesses told police they saw the pair arguing, and said they saw Smith “intentionally swerve his vehicle into the bike lane, colliding with the victim and his vehicle.”
Police said the bicyclist sustained injuries to his neck, back, and left leg.
“Based off of the information provided by all involved parties, it was determined that the incident was as of a result of a road rage incident and that (Smith) intentionally ran his vehicle into the victim and his bicycle.”
