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Two Arrests So Far In Bikers' Shocking Attack Of NYC Driver

Update at 6:42 p.m. ET. Second Rider Turns Himself In:

"Cops arrested one biker and were hunting for two more for beating and slashing a man in front of his wife and 2-year-old child after a wild chase through upper Manhattan," New York's Daily News reports. Christopher Cruz, 28, of Passaic, N.J., is due to be arraigned Tuesday.

Later in the afternoon, a second biker, Allen Edwards, 42, turned himself into police, the paper reported.

Also: One Biker Fighting For His Life.

As you can see in the video, after the first time Lien stops, he suddenly accelerates to get away from the bikers.

When he did so, The Wall Street Journal reports, he hit several motorcyclists including Edwin Mieses Jr., who is now in a medically induced coma.

His mother told The New York Post that he's trying "to hang on for dear life."

The Journal adds:

"Mr. Mieses is in a coma after suffering broken ribs and a broken spine that may ultimately leave him paralyzed, his wife, Dayana Mieses, said at a news conference outside St. Luke's Hospital. Ms. Mieses said she was outraged that Mr. Mieses was being treated as a criminal instead of a victim. 'I just want people to know that the only victim is not' the driver of the SUV, she said.

"Ms. Mieses said her husband was visiting the city for the motorcycle event from Lawrence, Mass., where he works as a studio engineer. She said her husband was run over early in the chase when he parked his bike and tried to help a rider who was already injured.

"She added that while she understood the driver was scared because he was surrounded by motorcyclists, 'he should have stopped. He should have just stopped.' "

Our original post — "NYC Police Studying Shocking Video Of Bikers Attacking Driver" — continues:

Frightening video of what happened Sunday in New York City when dozens of motorcyclists surrounded an SUV and then beat the driver is being studied by New York City police as they try to find and arrest the attackers.

What exactly led to the confrontation isn't yet known for sure, judging from reports by CBS New York and other news outlets. But the shocking violence is crystal clear from the helmet-cam video that's gone viral.

The SUV driver, 33-year-old Alexian Lien, was with his wife and their 2-year-old child, according to the Daily News. The newspaper says Lien "became the target of the brutal bikers when he accidentally struck one who cut him off on the Henry Hudson Parkway, triggering a wild 4-mile chase, cops said Monday."

As you can see near the end of the video, when Lien finally had to stop again the bikers surrounded his vehicle and began smashing its windows. That's the point when the helmet cam appears to have been shut off. Moments later, according to police, Lien was pulled from the vehicle and beaten.

According to CBS New York, "Lien was taken to Columbia Presbyterian where he received stitches for cuts to his face and was released, police said. He will not face any charges, authorities said."

ABC News adds that "authorities are unsure whether the motorcyclists were officially affiliated with any group or club. Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said today that the bikers were doing an annual ride through New York City."

Complicating the investigation: Many of the bikes were not displaying license plates, and the riders — for the most part — kept their helmets on.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Mark Memmott is NPR's supervising senior editor for Standards & Practices. In that role, he's a resource for NPR's journalists – helping them raise the right questions as they do their work and uphold the organization's standards.