Tuesday, May 26, 2015

Six cyclists arrested after attacking PedalPubs with water pistols

They arrived armed and on bicycles, planning a “Mad Max”-style attack. Their target were PedalPubs in downtown Minneapolis. Their weapons of choice were water pistols (squirt guns) and water balloons. What they didn’t know was that there were off-duty police officers among the passengers.



Two of the people-powered, 16-seat vehicles were hit on Saturday in the late afternoon, said Lisa Stanplin, manager of Twin Cities PedalPubs. In the first attack, the cyclists rode to the front of the PedalPub and squirted the driver in the face. In the second, cyclists approached on both sides, squirted passengers with water pistols and hit one woman in the back of the head with a water balloon.

A potential third attack was thwarted when PedalPub passengers spotted the cyclists’ approach, jumped off and turned the tables on the cyclists. A video showing the aftermath of the third incident shows abandoned bikes littering the street and what appear to be several cyclists being pinned down on the pavement. One cyclist can be heard yelling, “I don’t even have a water bottle!” A woman can be heard telling the cyclists that it was “a PedalPub full of cops.”

Contains NSFW language.

YouTube link.

Indeed, Burnsville Police Chief Eric Gieseke confirmed on Sunday that six of his off-duty officers were on board. Minneapolis police arrested six people, who were booked into the Hennepin County jail and released on Saturday night after each posting $78 bail. The jail log lists fifth-degree assault and disorderly conduct, misdemeanors, as probable-cause charges. All have their first court appearances set for June 4.

4 comments:

Barbwire said...

That is one weird idea--people pedaling around town while drinking. One of my daughters works in Minneapolis and lives in the area. I'll ask her about them.

Barbwire said...

Update from my daughter. These pedal pubs foul up traffic and are really hated by many, as the drinkers have a tendency to pee or vomit out the sides of the vehicle. People who use them really like them, however. And she said that Minnesotans don't like anybody messing with their alcohol consumption.

arbroath said...

Heh heh, many thanks for the update from your daughter, Barbwire! :)

Ratz said...

Something tells me that the arrest by the intoxicated off-duty cops wasn't the assault part.