Cyclist says Texas driver hit fellow riders in attempt to blast exhaust on them

A cyclist said that a teenage motorist hit fellow riders in Texas in an attempt to blast exhaust on them from the tailpipe of his diesel truck. 

The Waller County Sheriff’s Office said six cyclists were hit by the vehicle. 

Authorities said that two cyclists were transported to a nearby medical facility to be treated for injuries, according to ABC affiliate KTRK. Two other cyclists were flown to Houston for medical attention, where one was treated for head trauma.

JUST IN: Six cyclists were run over by pickup truck today in Waller County. In total, 4 are hospitalized, 2 had to be air-lifted. The driver of the vehicle is 16-years-old. #houston #breaking pic.twitter.com/j8JVzFlR1y

— Matthew Seedorff (@MattSeedorff) September 26, 2021

In an interview with Fox affiliate KRIV, cyclist Chase Ferrell said that a black diesel pickup truck slowed down and hit the gas to blow exhaust smoke toward him and other cyclists training for an upcoming Ironman event. 

Ferrell said the driver tried to do the same maneuver on cyclists who were ahead of him, which culminated in the crash. 

“The reason he couldn’t stop is because he was accelerating to blow more diesel fuel on these cyclists,” Ferrell told KRIV. “He ended up hitting three people before his brakes even started.”

Ferrell added that the driver, identified as a 16-year-old male, stayed at the scene and talked to police after hitting the cyclists, according to KRIV. He added that the driver may have “made a mistake and ran them over.”

“There was no reason for this to happen,” said Ferrell. “It wasn’t like he was on his phone. [He] definitely meant to try and scare these people [or] intimidate them in some way.”

As of Saturday, authorities haven’t arrested the teen driver for the incident, the Fox affiliate reported.

The Hill has reached out to the Waller County Sheriff’s Office for more information.