Manfred Schmidt, a local runner and rider, described a recent bike ride he and friends were on in Jefferson and Oldham counties over Memorial Day weekend where a pickup truck shot a bb-gun as the cyclists as it sped past. Thankfully there were no serious injuries, but still the bruises and shock can take its toll.
From Velo Louisville:
I am still in shock. I was riding with a group of four this afternoon through Jefferson and Oldham County, mostly on back roads. Around 2:30 pm we were going north on Maple Ave., close to the intersection with Cherry Lane, in Pewee Valley. This is a very quiet neighborhood with not much traffic. A pickup truck came from behind and passed us. All the sudden I heard a loud pop and felt a sharp pain on the left side of my chest. Shortly after that a second pop. It took me while to realize that someone had just shot me and one of my companions with a BB gun from the passing vehicle.
The pickup truck sped away towards 146; we could not read the license plate. It was a white Ford Ranger with tinted windows. One of our guys said there were two people in the cabin. A small chaos broke out in our group. One rider tried to catch the pickup but had to give up. I called 911 and reported the incident to the Oldham County Police. I followed up with a phone call later this afternoon and was told that an officer had been dispatched but was not able to find the Ford Ranger, and that there is not much that can be done without a license plate.
