Motorcycle driver punches Chris Murphy in road rage incident, landing him in hospital

A Modesto road rage incident Thursday put community booster Chris Murphy in the hospital.

Murphy, who suffered a punch to the head, was released from Kaiser Modesto Medical Center following a CT scan. He said Friday he made one mistake during the incident with an angry motorcycle driver.

He stopped to try to reason with the man.

“My first response should have been driving to the police station or a fire station – a place with a safe zone,” Murphy said.

Murphy, 56, spearheaded the downtown Modesto walking tour with exhibits on cruising and Graffiti lore. Murphy’s description of the assault was more ugly, however, than the innocent street scenes depicted in Modesto native George Lucas’ film American Graffiti.

Murphy planned to join friends at the MoBand concert Thursday evening and at 6 p.m. was driving home to get ready. He was in the left lane on 17th Street, which has three lanes, and saw a motorcyclist in the middle lane before turning left on G Street.

“You can both make a left-hand turn,” Murphy said. “I went first and merged into the middle lane.” Apparently, the motorcycle driver became angry, Murphy said, and “he started hitting my car.”

Murphy said he waved the man off, but the motorcycle driver got in front of him on G Street before the Burney Street intersection. He said the man backed his Harley Davidson against the front of his vehicle.

Murphy managed to drive around him, and he was followed by the motorcycle across Dry Creek into the La Loma neighborhood. Murphy said he pulled over on Buena Vista Avenue; the motorcycle also stopped and the driver approached him.

“I got out and said I was sorry. He said that sorry is not going to cut it,” Murphy said. The man rushed at Murphy and chased him into a driveway. Murphy was punched in the head and “the next thing I know I’m on the ground.”

The man returned to his motorcycle and rode away.

Murphy said he went home and tried to shake off the emotions of the incident. But he began feeling sick, and a bruise on his head was swelling. He went to the hospital.

Murphy wrote in a Facebook post that he suffered a mild concussion. The CT scan at the hospital did not reveal other injuries. The advocate for downtown revitalization and publisher of Modesto View said he would file an online report with Modesto police.

“I was not looking to pick a fight with him,” Murphy said. “I don’t understand the lack of dialogue and civility. How does that turn into this?”

Heather Graves, a Modesto police spokeswoman, said Friday the department will follow up if the complaint is filed.

Graves said authorities prefer that people report a road rage incident while it is occurring when details such as a license plate number and description of the other driver are fresh in the mind.

“I would suggest calling right away,” Graves said. “Report what you are seeing and what their behavior is. If you call 911 right away and get police alerted to the erratic behavior, we can get out there quicker.”

Graves said road rage is taken seriously by police and can escalate quickly. “We want to be on top of it,” she said.

Police agree with Murphy that it’s a good idea to drive to a police or fire station. Another option is a public place where there are witnesses. It is not advisable to lead the other driver to your home.

“It is a tough situation and we never recommend following a vehicle closely to get a license plate number,” Graves added. “You can still report with a good description.”

Murphy said he did not get the license plate number of the motorcycle and has no clear description of the driver, who wore a helmet. “I am pretty sure I did not cut him off. ... It seems like we are having a lot of this lately,” he said.

Murphy said it was a sad and strange reason for missing the MoBand concert, but he plans to attend next week. “I wish there was more civility but you have to be careful,” he said. “Small things can get blown up and out of control. I should have never pulled over, but driven to safety.”

Police have made no arrests in a suspected road rage confrontation June 18, which claimed the life of 20-year-old Adrian Gomez. The young adult was a passenger in one of two vehicles involved in a dispute on Highway 99, which started near the Standiford Avenue exit. The vehicles pulled over on the highway shoulder near Kansas Avenue. Witnesses told police said that Gomez and at least one other person got out of the truck and walked toward the other vehicle.

The driver of the other vehicle accelerated, struck Gomez and then drove away, witnesses said. Police believe they know the identity of the driver.

During two roadway incidents in Tuolumne County, in April and June, vehicles were rammed by angry drivers. In both incidents, a child was inside one of the vehicles involved but neither child was injured.

This story was originally published July 7, 2017 at 4:22 PM with the headline "Motorcycle driver punches Chris Murphy in road rage incident, landing him in hospital."