Bicyclist Attacker Still at Large

An unknown driver who deliberately plowed his blue SUV into a series of bicyclists in the Mission Wednesday night is still at large, police say.

The driver of the Nissan Rogue is described as a white male. The four victims, who are all adult men, are expected to fully recover.

One man remains in critical condition, another in serious condition and the other in fair condition at San Francisco General Hospital. The fourth bicyclist was treated at the scene and released. Authorities have not released their names.

“We feel the outcome will be good for them,” said hospital spokeswoman Rachael Kagen. “We believe they will all recover.”

The assault lasted six minutes.

Witnesses told police the driver was weaving through cars and driving on the wrong side of the street, struck the bicyclists on the 2700 and 2800 blocks of Harrison Street, the intersection of 23rd and Pennsylvania and finally at 17th and Mission, where he crashed his four-door sedan into a pole and a parked Jeep Cherokee about 9:50 p.m. He fled on foot, abandoning some paperwork in the car.

Most of the staff at Bottom of the Hill on 17th at Missouri was inside the venue Wednesday night during a band performance. But an employee working the door saw one of the bicyclists get hit and ran over to help.

Focused on the hurt man, she did not notice the driver fleeing the scene.

“She is a really sensitive girl who was really impacted by what she saw,” said owner Lynn Schwarz.

The search Thursday morning led authorities all the way to Berkeley, but Berkeley police officer Andrew Frankel said the driver was not from there.

“We looked into it early on sometime early this morning,” he said. “That’s all I can really share with you.”

Investigators also checked on the owner of the car and the origin of the paperwork.

“We’re looking at all possibilities,” Lt. Lyn Tomioka of SFPD said.

She said investigators plan to discuss potential charges with the district attorney’s office, including assault with a deadly weapon, attempted murder and a hit and run.

“We don’t know the motive for the assault, but they do appear to be targeted,” she said.

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