Unfortunately, there’s no additional information at this time, other than the driver remained at the scene and cooperated with investigators.
However, since the cops and the media seem incapable of telling an e-bicycle from an e-motorbike, it’s up to us to suss out what the victim was actually riding.
In this case, video from the scene appears to show a crumpled bicycle frame, rather than a heavier e-moto. Although “appears” seems to be the key word here.
This crash was less than five miles from the site of Monday’s hit-and-run, in which the victim appeared to do everything right.
According to a paywalled story in the Ventura County Star, the victim appeared to have struck a tree, while riding without a helmet. However, there’s no word on whether the victim was riding a legal ped-assist bicycle, an electric motorcycle, or an illegal e-motorbike or dirt bike.
Any of which is equally tragic, but only the first would concern us here.
I’m hoping we’ll learn more today, so we may have more later.
Unfortunately, though, this will continue to be a problem until we can get law enforcement to stop lumping every two-wheeled device with an electric engine under the term ebike.
According to Facebook post from the Brazos County Sheriff’s Office (below),
On Saturday, July 18, 2026, just before 10:00 a.m., deputies with the Brazos County Sheriff’s Office were dispatched to the 23000 block of FM 159 in reference to a major crash involving a vehicle and a bicyclist.
Initial reports indicated that a vehicle had struck a bicyclist, leaving an adult female lying in the roadway. First responders arrived on scene and provided emergency medical care before the victim was transported to a local hospital. Despite lifesaving efforts, she later passed away at the hospital.
The victim has been identified as 26-year-old Hannah Rapp.
During the course of the investigation, investigators learned that the driver of the vehicle, identified as 31-year-old Charles Medina, had passed two bicyclists traveling along FM 159. After passing the bicyclists, Mr. Medina stopped his vehicle, reversed, and struck one of the cyclists.
At this time, investigators believe this was an isolated incident. The investigation remains active and ongoing as detectives continue to gather evidence and review all available information.
Charles Medina was arrested and charged with Manslaughter. He was transported to the Brazos County Detention Center without incident.
The Brazos County Sheriff’s Office extends its deepest condolences to the family and friends of Hannah Rapp during this difficult time.
Rapp’s boyfriend “threw his arms up and hollered towards the defendant,” Deputy Sheriff Mike Stumpf said in the statement. “The defendant slammed on his brakes and skidded to a stop before putting his vehicle into reverse.”
Medina then “rapidly accelerated in reverse and struck Rapp with his vehicle, knocking her backwards into the roadway,” Stumpf said.
Rapp’s boyfriend told an investigator that Medina had driven at a high rate of speed within about a foot of them, prompting him to throw his hands up and yell.
He said Rapp’s head struck the car’s rear window when Medina backed into her.
So Medina allegedly passed the two bicyclists at high speed, slammed on his brakes in front of them, then deliberately reverse into Rapp — again at high speed — killing her. And the best they can do is manslaughter, which carries a penalty of just 2 to 20 years? If he had stopped his car, got out with a gun and shot Rapp to death, it could be first degree murder; if he had fired from a moving vehicle, it would likely be second degree murder.
The former carries a penalty of 5 years to life, with the possibility of the death penalty, while the latter is also 2 to 20.
But either way, it would be murder, not manslaughter.
Maybe someone can make that make sense, because I sure as hell can’t.
On the other hand, Medina told investigators he just thought the bike riders were trying to flag him down, and the brakes on his Honda just happened to lock as he skidded to a stop. And he was only doing a mere 15 mph when he bumped into Rapp.
Uh, sure. Let’s go with that.
Never mind that the rear of his car showed significant damage, and there were skid marks from both where he stopped and burned rubber going backwards.
Rapp fought for the WBC women’s featherweight title just last month, losing to Tiara Brown in a unanimous decision. She was living in College Station, Texas, after moving there two years ago to begin her boxing career while working at Texas A&M University.
Hannah was resilient. She was brave and insightful, always pushing others to do their best. She loved her family so incredibly much, and moving from Indiana to Texas meant distance for her friends and family. Hannah was an inspiration. Even on her hardest days, she continued to bring love, laughter, and light into the lives of others.
Thank you for helping us honor Hannah’s beautiful life. She will be deeply missed, forever loved, and never forgotten. As Hannah would say, “commit to the bit”, and sweet friend, we are committed to fighting for you.
As of this writing, the fundraiser has raised over $16,000 of the $22,000 goal.
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It looks like the driver who was towing surfing scion Kolby Kekoa Aipa when Aipa was killed last year will face charges, after all.
No bias here. Alberta, Canada has created a Bike Lane Portal asks residents to report any bike lanes that cause congestion, slow emergency responses, hurt a business, inconvenience a senior, or raise a safety concern, promising to put Albertans first. Which sounds very much like a promise from a certain American leader. And it’s not as is any Albertans ride bikes, or care if they get home safely.
Irish cycling legend Joe Barr, who just made headlines for completing a record-setting ride along the legendary Route 66, was assaulted while riding alone in his home country when someone dumped a bucket of water on him from a passing car.
Trump’s executive order to reduce Utah’s Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments to about a tenth of their previous size could affect riders using a pair of popular trails, although it’s not clear if the president has legal authority to reduce National Monuments, and opponents say it runs afoul of the Property Clause of the The Constitution (Article IV, Section 3), which grants Congress, not the president, exclusive power to dispose of or reduce federal property.
Chicago Streetsblog says the bike crash deaths of transportation planners Riley O’Neil in Chicago and Louisa Gag in Boston should be a turning point for Safe Streets. “Should” being the operative term.
Two men now face charges in the Ohio hit-and-run that killed a man riding a bicycle last month; the 24-year old driver has been charged with aggravated vehicular homicide, vehicular manslaughter and failure to stop after an accident, while the 22-year old passenger in the truck has been charged with failing to report the crime.
A 23-year old English man has completed a 39-day, 3,100-mile fundraising ride from Estadio Azteca in Mexico City to the MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, completing the journey between the first kick of the World Cup and the final whistle of the championship game, raising money for a suicide prevention nonprofit en route.
Tadej Pogačar’s road to winning this year’s Tour de France got a lot easier Sunday after two-time champ Jonas Vingegaard, his main competitor for the title, crashed out of the race with a broken collarbone. It will also make my job easier, as I’ll now only have to worry about spelling “Evenepoel” correctly.
Bike Radar names the top ten all-time Tour de France champs without even naming America’s seven-time ex-Tour de France champ. Because as we all know, He Who Must Not Be Named never officially existed. And apparently, neither did Fausto Coppi and Gino Bartali.
More tragic news, as Japanese former Olympic silver medalist Toshiaki Fushimi was killed Saturday while racing in a keirin tournament in Matsusaka, Mie Prefecture, when he crashed into a safety barrier trying to avoid a crash ahead of him, suffering skull and neck fractures; the two-time KEIRIN Grand Prix champ was 50 years old.
That was the jaw-dropping amount awarded to a Westlake Village family, when a jury found socialite Rebecca Grossman and her former boyfriend, ex-Dodger Scott Erickson, liable for killing eleven-year old Mark Iskander and his eight-year old brother Jacob six years ago.
The Iskander family was crossing a Westlake Village street in the crosswalk when the boys were run down by Grossman as she was allegedly street racing with Erickson after downing margaritas in a nearby bar.
The boy’s mother was able to pull the couple’s youngest son to safety, but could only watch in horror as Grossman plowed into the boys at 73 mph, sending one flying nearly the length of a football field.
Erickson had gone through the intersection moments earlier, just missing the family, and later admitted hiding under some bushes to avoid detection while he watched the investigation into the deaths unfold.
Grossman is currently serving 15 to life after she was convicted of two felony counts of murder, two felony counts of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence, and one felony count of hit-and-run driving resulting in death.
According to the LA Times, the jury awarded the boy’s parents, Nancy and Karim Iskander, a combined $59 million for the loss of Mark, and another $48 million for Jacob’s death. Nancy Iskander was also awarded another $35 million for serious emotional distress, while the youngest son, Zachary, received $34 million for the loss of his brothers.
That may be only the beginning, however.
The jury concluded that Grossman acted with malice and oppression, and Erickson acted with malice, oppression, or fraud. That opens them up to the possibility of millions more in punitive damages, which will be determined in a second phase of the trial.
Whether Grossman and Erickson have that kind of money, or the Iskanders will ever seen any of it, remains to be determined.
The driver, 42-year old Michael Leppelmeier, first stopped his SUV, got out and assaulted a 68-year old man, before tossing the victim’s bicycle into a nearby pond.
Leppelmeier then crossed the double yellow line with SUV and rammed a 72-year old bike rider head-on while driving on the wrong side of the road.
Both victims were hospitalized with serious, but non-life-threatening injuries.
When cops arrived at his home, Leppelmeier came out and threatened them with a knife, but retreated into his house after being tased. He was finally apprehended by SWAT officers after a standoff involving breached windows, teargas and a drone.
Leppelmeier has a criminal record going back more than 20 years, including attempted vandalism, a previous vehicular assault charge, and at least two OVIs — the equivalent of a DUI. He is currently on probation for a two-year old public indecency charge.
A neighbor accused Leppelmeier of calling him a slur, driving by while yelling insults out the window of his SUV, and harassing kids riding their bikes.
Seems like a real nice guy.
Meanwhile, another Ohio man faces charges after an apparently intoxicated episode in which he allegedly shouted racial slurs at a group of kids described as 11, 12, and 17 years old, then got in his truck and drove up on the sidewalk in an effort to run over one who tried to leave on a bicycle.
He then threatened to do the same to the other kids if they didn’t believe in God.
Which is a very strange way to make converts.
Finally, he grabbed another child on a different street before walking away.
No word on whether he was attempting to ascertain if that kid was a believer, too.
He is currently on paid administrative leave. Which means he gets to draw his full paycheck while sitting at home watching Wheel of Fortune in his underwear, courtesy of Escondido taxpayers.
Unfortunately, there’s no word on what kind of ebike Illian was riding.
The bill limits “high speed” ebikes to riding in the traffic lane, rather than in bike lanes or bike paths, and requires owners to have a valid driver’s license, title, registration and insurance
Meanwhile, riders of electric skateboards, e-unicycles and high-speed electric scooters would have to be at least 16 years old, with a ridiculous 28 mph speed limit on sidewalks, up to 35 mph on bike lanes, bike paths, and roads with speed limits of up to 35 mph. They are only allowed on roads with speed limits above 35 mph if they have a bike lane.
Which creates a dangerous situation putting pedestrians at risk on sidewalks, and risking the comfort and safety of bicyclists using bike lanes.
Since late votes tend to run Democratic, he could still make the runoff.
Bluesky post
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LADOT reminds us about this month’s CicLAvia connecting Leimert and Expo parks.
Twitter post
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The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes just keeps on going.
A Colorado bike shop promises free ebikes, using a state tax credit, but you may have to wait a year or more. And might not get a bike that actually qualifies for the credit. Then again, you might.
More on the bicyclist tackled by Toronto cops for the crime of running a stop sign, as the case is now being looked into by Ontario’s Special Investigations Unit; the rider’s lawyer says the victim has a concussion after he was violently taken down by multiple cops. Thanks to Megan for the video.
Streetsblog’s Damien Newton says the good news is the good ebike bills are moving forward in the state legislature, and the bad bills are dead for this session. SB 1167 is a much-needed bill redefining and drawing a clear distinction between ebikes and e-motos; also moving forward is AB 1569, to require ebike education in schools before ebikes are allowed on school grounds.
Once again, the mother of a teenaged ebike rider has been arrested, this time in Arizona, for knowingly allowing her 14-year old son to ride the bike without a license — which suggests it was actually an e-motorbike, rather than an electric bicycle. It also raises the question of where the hell these kid’s fathers are, since it’s only mother of teenagers who have been charged so far.
Horrible story from Texas, where a Houston-area man was found dead in a ditch, more than a dozen hours after he set out on a night bike ride; police believe he was killed by a hit-and-run driver sometime during the night. As we’ve said before, drivers should be charged with murder in cases like this, because they made a conscious decision to leave the victim on the side of the road, rather than getting help. And there’s no way of knowing if he might have survived if the driver had at least called 911.
This is why people keep dying on our streets. A Massachusetts man faces charges for killing a man riding a bicycle, after crossing the roadway and hitting the victim head-on — just seven weeks after he was given a summons for fleeing another crash on foot. Which is why drivers should immediately lose their license following any hit-and-run, even if the cop just puts it in their pocket after making the arrest.
Streetsblog credits the thousands of bike riders who turned out for DC’s Ride For Your Life with helping get several key provisions of the bipartisan bicycling Sarah Debbink Langenkamp Safety Act rolled into the latest national transportation bill, the BUILD America 250 Act.
This is who we share the road with. An Aussie cop walked with a two year “intensive corrections order” — like a highly supervised probation — and 500 hours of community service for using his car as a road block to stop an aboriginal teen riding a dirt bike in a bike lane; the kid was killed when he hit an obstruction, and flew into the windshield of the cop’s unmarked car.
Competitive Cycling
The Trans Am Bike Nonstop Race begins Sunday, with about 50 ultra cyclists setting out on what is, in effect, an unsupported time trial along the historic, 4,200-mile TransAmerica Bike Trail from Astoria, Oregon to Yorktown, Virginia. So no, it has nothing to do with Burt Reynolds outfoxing the cops in a Pontiac Trans Am.
The victim was riding on the east sidewalk of Sequoia Ave, heading south, when they “failed to stop in time” at the railroad crossing at Sequoia and Los Angeles Ave, and was struck by a passing Amtrak train.
It’s not clear if the victim died at the scene, or was taken to a local hospital.
If the description is accurate, it suggests that the victim tried and failed to stop in time, raising questions of how fast the ebike was going — and what type of ebike a victim that young was riding. As well as why the crossing gates did not provide more warning before the train arrived.
It’s also possible that the victim may not have noticed the gates were down, or could have tried to go around the gates after they had been lowered.
Either way, it’s a needless tragedy that will be felt throughout the community.
Anyone with information is urged to call Simi Valley Police Department Traffic Investigator Abel Martinez at 805/583-6224, or email AMartinez@simivalley.org. Or contact Simi Valley Police Department Traffic Supervisor Sergeant Josh McAlister at 805/583-6940, email JMcAlister@simivalley.org.
This the 27th bicycling fatality that I’m aware of in Southern California this year, and the fourth in Ventura County.
That compares to three all year last year, and two the year before.
According to KCBS-2, he was riding a Class 3 ped-assist ebike, which could have legally reached speeds up to 28 mph. And as Christian points out below, he was riding on the sidewalk that would have faced traffic, so the traffic arm would have been on the opposite side of the railroad tracks.
“He was a beloved son, brother, teammate and a true friend to so many,” the post says. “His love for the game was evident every time he stepped on the field, but it was his kindness, his energy and his unforgettable smile that truly made him special.”
A memorial has been set up inside Simi Valley’s Sinaloa Middle School, where he was in the 7th grade.
That driver stopped after the crash. Police do not believe he was speeding or under the influence
The victim was knocked off his bike by the impact, landing in the next lane, where he was run over by a driver in an SUV. That person continued without stopping, dragging the ebike under their car.
The second driver stopped about a block away to dislodged the ebike from underneath the SUV, then got back in and continued driving south on Saviers. There’s no description at this time of that driver or the suspect SUV.
The victim died at the scene.
It’s not clear from the limited description whether he was riding in the bike lane when he was struck by the first driver, or if he was in the traffic lane next to it.
It’s also not clear whether he was actually riding a ped-assist or throttle-controlled bicycle, or if he was riding e-motorbike or a non-street legal electric dirt bike.
That’s an ongoing problem when anything with two wheels and an electric motor is called an ebike, regardless of how fast or powerful it is.
Anyone with information is urged to contact Oxnard Police Officer Daniel Diaz Sanchez at 805/385-7750, or email daniel.diaz-sanchez@oxnardpd.org, especially after hours. Or you can call the Oxnard Police Department at 805/385-7600.
This the 16th bicycling fatality that I’m aware of in Southern California this year, and the second in Ventura County; both were in Oxnard.
Five of those deaths have now involved hit-and-run drivers.
My deepest sympathy and prayers for the victim and his loved ones.
Correction: I originally said the meeting was on Tuesday, rather than Monday. I’m not sure where I got the wrong date, but I take full ownership of the fuckup, and not checking the meeting agenda to get it right.
The project is designed to slow traffic on the deadly corridor by removing one lane in each direction, widening sidewalks and installing curb-protected bike lanes.
Local residents and pass-through drivers have been fighting this project, and will undoubtedly turn out in force to object to it because it will remove curbside parking on the street, and eliminate what for decades has been a faster alternative to busier boulevards nearby.
Which means we have to respond in kind to demand better safety and a more livable street for everyone.
The paper reports residents who can’t attend the meeting in person can watch live on WeHoTV via Spectrum Channel 10 or YouTube; although I’m not sure if that works for non-residents, as well.
The crash occurred at Lewis Street and El Prado Ave; the driver remained at the scene, and police don’t suspect they were under the influence.
The story notes that the victim wasn’t wearing a helmet, which is not required for anyone over 18, and only matters if he suffered a serious head injury, which isn’t mentioned in the article.
Let’s just hope and pray he makes a full and fast recovery.
They’d sure as hell convince me. And evidently, had the same effect on the driver’s insurance company.
Illustrations by Focus Graphics
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We’ve often mentioned that the East Side Riders are far more than just a bike club.
The nonprofit group operates a Watts bicycle co-op, host weekly bike rides, provide a safe, gang-free hangout for local kids, and works as community organizers to help strengthen the community and feed and clothe those in need.
Now they’ve made it even easier for you to throw a few bucks their way. Money that will do more good than most things you could do with it.
So what are you waiting for?
“The happiest people are not those getting more, but those giving more.” – H. Jackson Brown Jr.
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The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes just keeps on going.
You’ve got to be kidding. A Bend, Oregon driver is somehow considering claiming self-defense after getting out of his work truck, and walking back to assault a 16-year old kid — a boy with a cumulative 4.326 grade point average, no less — for the crime of riding two abreast with a friend, which is legal in the state, leaving the kid with $11,000 in medical bills and over $3,700 in damage to his bike; the attack ended after the driver’s young daughter yelled from the truck “Daddy, stop. Don’t do it.” LAPD officers have told me that in California, drivers are considered to have committed assault the moment they get out of their cars to confront someone.
No bias here. A London magazine says the bicyclist may be a “kindly spirit in the countryside,” but in in the city, “this peaceable phantom has become a bloodthirsty wraith, terrorizing unsuspecting pedestrians, and refusing to follow the laws of man or motorcar.” Just wait until someone tells him about cars, and the careless and aggressively bloodthirsty people who drive them.
An Aussie hit-and-run driver denied deliberately injuring a bike rider, even though dashcam video from a trailing car showed her braking until the victim passed her, then turning her car to crash into him — something her lawyer said was somehow proof she tried to avoid him; meanwhile, she’s awaiting sentencing for intentionally injuring someone else.
But sometimes, it’s the people on two wheels behaving badly.
The LA County Sheriff’s Department is conducting another bicycle and pedestrian safety operation from 5 am to 3 pm on Friday; a press release says they’re focusing on dangerous driver behavior, however, they are legally obligated to enforce the law equally whether you’re on foot, on a bike or in a car. So once again, ride to the letter of the law until you cross the city limits. Thanks to David for the heads-up.
Calbike talks with a representative of Upway about what the California Ebike Incentive program got right, and what it got wrong. Although they could have spoken with at least a couple local bike shops participating in the program. Or even a few who didn’t, and ask them what it got wrong. Thanks to Ellectrek for the article.
A writer for San Diego’s KPBS considers whether ebikes can make kids more mobile and still keep them safe, and whether the streets are ready for them. Although a lot depends on whether they’re using ped-assist bicycles, or non-street legal electric dirt bikes.
For once, justice delayed is not justice denied, as a 28-year old San Francisco man was sentenced to 15 years to life for the hit-and-run death of a woman riding a bicycle, with nine years — yes, 9 years — credited for time served as he awaited trial for the 2016 crash; he reportedly brought both sides of the courtroom to tears by taking responsibility for taking the victim’s life.
Bicycling lists 12 mistakes to avoid when shopping for a used bike. But you’ll have to subscribe to read it, since it’s only available to people who pay, and it doesn’t seem to be available anywhere else.
Boston bicyclists say new speed bumps installed in a local state park are increasing danger on the roadway, rather than lessening it, as unsuspecting bike riders risk getting knocked cold. Apparently, Massachusetts has never heard of cutting channels into speed bumps to give people on bicycles a safe path to ride through, while still slowing motor vehicles.
Life is cheap in London, where a distracted truck driver walked without a day behind bars for killing a woman on a bicycle, after the judge ruled that the victim had contributed to her own death by attempting to pass the truck on the inside — even though the driver forgot to check his mirror because he was distracted by his truck’s center console and was on a hands-free call.
Despite the efforts of first responders and medical personnel, Lupola’s condition continued to decline, and he was disconnected from life support on Tuesday, March 18th, with his wife at his side, and his organs donated.
There’s no description of the suspect vehicle at this time; a crowdfunding page put up by Lupola’s aunt says the driver was doing an estimated 65 mph in a 35 mph zone.
Although you’d think a crash at that speed would have left debris that could identify the vehicle, unless the driver stopped to pick it up.
Note: A comment below from a man identifying himself as Lupito’s uncle says the crowdfunding campaign was not authorized by his family. So maybe hold off donating until I learn more.
This was at least the tenth bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the second that I’m aware of in San Diego County.
Lupito was also the third SoCal bike rider killed by a hit-and-run driver since the first of the year.
My deepest sympathy and prayers for Jonathan Joseph Akahito Lupola and his loved ones.
