Teen who ran over 6 cyclists outside Houston walks free

Chase Ferrell UPDATE: The attorney representing the teenager released a statement. Read about it here. Immediately after harassing and running over six cyclists near Houston this past weekend, the teenager behind the wheel of the black truck had one thing on his mind, according to a witness: "Do you think I'm going to jail?"

The answer, as it turned out, was no.

The 16-year-old driver appeared to have been trying to "roll coal" on a group of eight cyclists training for the Ironman Triathlon, according to fellow cyclist Chase Ferrell. Ferrell was a few paces behind the group when the driver blew thick, black smoke on him as he pedaled along Old Highway 290 on Saturday morning. Moments later, the driver caught up to the larger group up ahead and tried doing the same thing.

Only, the second time was different. The driver, instead of blowing smoke on the group, accelerated and slammed into six of the eight cyclists, Ferrell and police say. He stopped, got out and surveyed the wreckage before Ferrell caught up to the scene.

"Yeah, you did something really freaking stupid," Ferrell recalled telling the teen. "You should go to jail."

It is not clear why the teenager was not immediately arrested. Representatives at the Waller County District Attorney's Office did not answer questions about the case but instead referred to a Facebook post saying it is still under investigation by police.

In all, four of the six cyclists who were hit were hospitalized. Two of those had to be airlifted because of the severity of their injuries. Photos shared by Ferrell show a scene from a movie: Heavy damage to the front end of the pickup from its impact with the cyclists. Mangled bicycles strewn about the grassy right of way adjacent to the road. A helicopter ambulance readying for departure.

Within minutes, Ferrell said, the teen's parents showed up. When the police arrived, he was questioned but ultimately released from the scene without charges. That sparked a onslaught of criticism from the biking community and beyond:

Authorities are tight-lipped about whether or not the teenager would face any charges after the fact.

"That this driver has yet to face any consequences certainly has many wondering if it's open season on cyclists in Waller County," Joe Cutrufo, BikeHouston's executive director, said.

Waller County and the Houston region is no stranger to drivers hitting cyclists, sometimes with nefarious intent. In 2017, two cyclists were killed in Waller County when Army veteran Victor Tome intentionally drove into a small group. Tome was eventually convicted of capital murder and sentenced to life in prison without parole. Those deaths contributed to a total of four deadly collisions that have happened since 2011 in Waller County alone, according to Dug Begley at the Houston Chronicle.

"The irony here is this prevailing attitude in Waller County that bicyclists from Houston are a menace," Cutrufo said. "That's a tough position to defend when you see a 16-year-old running them down with a truck."

The teenager's identity has not been released and will likely remain confidential since he's a minor.

What do you think of the case? Let me know on Twitter: @jayrjordan