Once again, someone riding a bicycle was killed by a drunken hit-and-run driver in Southern California, and we didn’t learn about until weeks later.
Except this time there was a cop involved.
Allegedly.
According to the Los Angeles Times— the only source currently reporting the story — 38-year old Chino resident Fabio Cebreros was riding his bike on Bon View Ave in Ontario on Christmas Eve, when he was struck by an off-duty cop around 7:37 pm.
The driver was identified as 39-year old Aaron Kleibacker, a rookie officer with the Los Angeles Police Department’s Rampart Division.
Cebreros was taken to a hospital, where he died from his injuries,
Kleibacker initially fled the scene before returning, although it isn’t clear if he turned himself in, or if he was recognized by a witness or identified some other way.
He reportedly cooperated with investigators, but failed a sobriety test, testing at over twice the legal limit.
Kleibacker was booked on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter, and released the next day. Charges are pending.
The Times reports Kleibacker appears to have joined the LAPD after serving with the Marines. An LAPD spokesperson confirmed that he still works for the department, although probationary officers can be fired outright for alleged misconduct.
There’s no word on how the crash occurred, or where it happened on Bon View; there’s also no information on how long Cebreros was hospitalized before he died.
We also don’t know how long it took Kleibacker to return following the crash, which could have an impact on whether he faces hit-and-run charges, in addition to vehicular manslaughter and — presumably — DUI counts.
This was at least the 56th bicycling fatality in Southern California last year, and the sixth that I’m aware of in San Bernardino County.
Twenty of those deaths last year involved hit-and-run drivers.
My deepest sympathy and prayers for Fabio Cebreros and his loved ones.
Like most Angelenos, I’ve been watching news of the fires with increasing horror all week. And like too many of us, too many of my friends have lost everything in a literal puff of smoke.
But when concerned friends and relatives would ask, I would confidently tell them we were in a safe area far from the danger; the only thing we had to worry about was someone starting a fire in the Hollywood Hills above us.
Guess what happened next.
In a matter of minutes, we went from praying for others to grabbing everything we could before joining a long line of fellow evacuees on the gridlocked streets of Hollywood as ash fell around us from the growing glow just blocks away.
It took us two-and-a-half hours to get to an overpriced hotel three miles away. Something I could done it in 20 minutes on a bike.
And would have if I didn’t have a wife and dog to worry about.
But we were safe, and watched on the news as firefighters made a heroic stand that literally saved our entire neighborhood.
By yesterday morning we were back in our home, nervously watching the winds as we unpacked everything we took in haste the night before.
Then came the false alarm evacuation alert ordering us to leave once again, only to be cancelled 20 minutes later with an “oopsie” alert explaining we got it in error for a fire far away.
Which oddly did not seem to lower my blood pressure or pulse rate one iota.
Now I’m completely exhausted, physically and emotionally, and worried sick about the friends we’ve yet to hear from.
And just this side of tears if my wife looks at me the wrong way. Or the dog, for that matter.
So I hope you’ll forgive me if I miss yet another post today. I just don’t have it in me to write about bikes right now.
I’ll be back on Monday, as usual, to catch up on anything we’ve missed, barring any further disasters, natural or otherwise.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to crawl into bed and pull the covers over my head.
And hope this is all over when I finally wake up, whenever that may be.
My internet service has been going in and out all night, which is what happens when the cable company insists on stringing overhead wires in wind prone areas.
And the power’s not looking much better at the moment, so let’s make this quick.
If you’re in the LA area, and thinking about riding your bike in these winds, don’t.
The National Weather Service has described these winds as life-threatening, and they’re not kidding.
We’re seeing hurricane force winds throughout the LA area, particularly near mountains and canyons, which can easily blow large objects through the air, and knock down branches and power lines.
I’ve also had sudden gusts of winds knock me off my bike, and blow me across multiple lanes of traffic.
And trust me, that ain’t fun.
Then there’s the multiple fires spreading across the area, which can erupt suddenly and spread a lot faster than you can ride away.
In addition, the smoke from these fires is highly toxic, and poses a significantly greater risk if you’re exercising and breathing deeply. So if you can smell smoke, don’t ride.
Period.
There’s also the problem of multiple road closures, including PCH and the hills in Pacific Palisades, as well as around Eaton Canyon and Sun Valley. Which means that even if you do decide to chance it, you may find your usual route shut down.
Not to mention your escape route, if you need one.
On the other hand, if you have to evacuate, your bike makes a much better choice in an emergency than a motor vehicle, as hundreds of drivers trying to escape the Palisades fire learned the hard way yesterday.
The kids appeared to be taking part in a rideout, taking up every lane on one side of the roadway.
While the law allows them to take the full right lane, they can’t legally occupy the entire roadway unless they’re riding at the normal speed of traffic.
Something the cops seemed to be more concerned with than the driver who dangerously and illegally swerved in and through them, sometimes running red lights and driving on the wrong side of the road, all while blaring his horn.
The LAPD responded to a call for service at Olympic Boulevard and Highland Avenue around 1:30 p.m. Saturday, but when officers arrived the caller wasn’t there , according to LAPD Officer Rosario Cervantes.
“We’re aware of the video, but detectives are investigating exactly what occurred,” Cervantes said. “There shouldn’t be that many bicycles on the road blocking traffic, so that would be unsafe, but I don’t know exactly what transpired.”
Never mind that the driver could have easily killed someone with his dangerous antics.
On the other hand, video appears to show a violent mob attacking the same car in a parking garage a few minutes later, repeatedly stomping and kicking the Mercedes, and shattering the windshield as a man appears to flee while covering his head.
Which is another way of saying no one appears to be entirely innocent here.
Thanks to Dr. Grace Peng and Steven Hansen for the heads-up.
………
That’s more like it.
A Lancaster, California man will spend the next 12 years behind bars after killing a man riding in a Camarillo bike lane last July, as he was fleeing from police at speeds up to 100 mph.
Or make that six years, since California inmates seldom serve more than half their sentences.
Makare Darnell Toliver was being pursued by Ventura County Sheriff’s deputies on July 27th, suspected of robbing a man at gunpoint in a hotel parking lot, when he slammed into Ventura resident Robert Pierret while swerving into the bike lane on Central Ave to pass a slower car.
Pierret died after being taken to a local hospital.
Toliver continued to flee after hitting Pierret’s bicycle. He and his passenger were finally taken into custody after crashing into another car.
The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes just keeps on going.
An Arizona candidate for Father of the Year faces charges for beating up two ebike-riding kids and stealing their cellphones, after evidently becoming enraged watching them swerve between vehicles — all while his own son watched from the car. Something tells me that kid is really proud of his dad right now. Or maybe not.
This is why people keep dying on the streets. A 56-year old British driver walked without a day behind bars for the hit-and-run crash that left a 17-year old boy with life-changing injuries — despite having 128 previous traffic convictions and lying to the cops about selling his car — after the judge concludes he’s too old for the current state of the country’s prisons.
Good news from Moneywise, which reports that LA-based former pro Phil Gaimon, creator of the popular Worst Retirement Ever videos, thinks he’s finally beaten the outrageous $250,000 in medical bills he received after a 2020 track racing crash that resulted in multiple, potentially life-threatening fractures — something that’s now prohibited by a federal bill protecting consumers from unexpected out-of-network medical bills.
But as last week’s twin bicycling deaths just five miles apart in Rancho Mirage and Palm Desert make clear, the area’s streets remain dangerous for anyone on two wheels.
Too many streets are too wide, with speed limits too high, and offer too little protection for people riding bicycles. Or on foot.
Then again, they aren’t all that safe for people cars, either.
While the CV Link could provide a safer route for recreational riders, it won’t do anything to protect people traveling to and from the pathway, or for bike commuters who have to travel to and through areas unserved by the route.
Meanwhile, faster riders will undoubtedly face complaints from others on the path, and likely spur speed restrictions before long — if it doesn’t already have them — spurring many road riders to return to the streets.
So while the CV Link may offer a pleasant off-road alternative for some riders, it will do nothing to improve safety and reduce traffic violence on the valley’s deadly streets.
And people who walk, run or ride a bike will continue to pay the price.
After years of lawsuits and dithering by public officials, the city instituted a $9 charge for people driving into the heart of Manhattan, which will gradually rise in future years.
Despite complaints from motorists, the idea is not to punish drivers, but to reduce traffic congestion while raising millions of dollars for public transportation.
It’s something that has already proven successful in London and throughout Europe, which will inevitably give rise to the usual complaints of this is not (insert city here).
But it’s definitely worth trying.
And Day One reportedly went off without a hitch.
Yet while other major cities move forward with congestion pricing, Los Angeles is slow-walking its own Metro proposal, doing what our leaders do best — studying the idea, in hopes it will just go away.
Even that isn’t scheduled to begin until 2028, though, when a study focusing on central Los Angeles, the San Fernando Valley and the westside will finally launch.
Although they could probably save time by launching a study right now to see if they can find any elected officials willing to stand up to complaints from angry drivers.
………
The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes just keeps on going.
It’s official. The negligent homicide charge has been dropped against a DEA agent who blew through a stop sign, and killed a Salem, Oregon woman riding a bicycle, after a judge ruled he was entitled to federal immunity because he was on the job. Almost as if he was elected president or something.
But sometimes, it’s the people on two wheels behaving badly.
In both cases the driver remained at the scene. And just like the earlier case, there’s no word on how the crash that killed Petre occurred, or who was at fault.
Hopefully we’ll learn more soon.
Petre is the second bicyclist killed in Southern California this year, and the second in Riverside County.
My deepest sympathy and prayers for Patrick Petre and his loved ones.
