Man With Paintball Gun Shoots Cyclists at World Naked Bike Ride
A man armed with a paintball gun shot at cyclists participating in the World Naked Bike Ride in St. Louis on Saturday.
A passing runner caught the unprovoked attack on camera and posted the video to Facebook, where it went viral.
Police say that while they received a call reporting the attack, they have not heard from any riders hit by paintballs.
The crux of the World Naked Bike Ride is positive: Cyclists celebrate body positivity and confidence in a clothing-optional atmosphere, all while raising awareness for their vulnerability on the roads and advocating for more bike-friendly streets.
That’s what made a seemingly unprovoked attack on cyclists at the World Naked Bike Ride in St. Louis so disappointing.
Footage captured at the 12th edition of the mass ride on Saturday showed a man with a paintball gun shooting at the cyclists.
The attack occurred as riders passed through Tower Grove Park, a family-friendly park with a sign reading, “A welcoming place for all.” One nearby runner, Brian Krazer, caught it all on video, and posted it to his Facebook page. (His video, below, is NSFW.)
The footage shows a young male cyclist in the ride who has pulled off to the side as others continue to ride past. He inspects his bike, but several seconds later, he reacts to something off-screen and yells, “Hey, man, just f------ stop!”
Krazer reacts as well, saying, “I’m not doing anything, I’m running,” as he swings his camera to the side. We then see a man with a paintball gun approaching the ride while firing off several more paintballs at participants.
According to the St. Louis Post Dispatch, Krazer said the attacker’s paintball gun seemed to lose air pressure soon afterward, rendering it useless.
Andrea Hitsman, a volunteer organizer for the ride, told Bicycling that the incident was “really unprecedented, and not indicative of how this ride normally goes.”
“It’s always such a positive, happy experience. I’ve never seen anyone get angry,” Hitsman said. “Thousands of people come out and line the streets. Occasionally we might get a complaint online, but nothing where someone has said something directly to a rider.”
Rider safety had never been an issue prior to this attack, Hitsman said. Organizers partner with the city and police department to ensure everything goes smoothly, and officers even join the ride at the beginning and end to provide an escort. Volunteers also position themselves throughout the ride, communicating with one another to report any problems. Medics are on hand as well.
Hitsman said there isn’t a paintball facility nearby, so she wasn’t sure why the man would have had the gun with him. Krazer told the local NBC affiliate that the attacker seemed upset about naked cyclists riding past families and children.
The rider in the video foreground, who appeared to take the brunt of the attack, hasn’t come forward. Hitsman said he never alerted organizers to the incident, and that they didn’t even know about it until later that afternoon.
When Bicycling asked the St. Louis Police Department about the attack, a press officer confirmed that while they did receive a call regarding “a male subject shooting at riders with a paintball gun,” they were unable to authenticate what happened. The rider did not file a police report.
“Officers on scene interviewed several riders, who stated they did not see anyone with a paintball gun, nor were they hit by any paintballs,” the officer, Evita Caldwell, told Bicycling. “At this time, we have not received any reports of persons being injured by paintballs during that event.”
Despite the video evidence, Caldwell said police “would still need victims and witnesses to come forward” in order to bring charges against the shooter.
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