Another biker suspected of joining in on an attack that left a young New York father bloodied last week has been arrested and charged by police, sources told the New York Post.
Craig Wright on Monday was charged with gang assault, assault and unlawful imprisonment, the law enforcement sources said. Authorities tracked Wright down by tracing his license plate, which ended up belonging to a motorcycle owned by his uncle, the sources added.
The charges against Wright came a day after another man who was accused of taking part in the attack was arraigned on gang assault charges, which his attorney said were overblown
Reginald Chance, 37, was ordered held on $75,000 cash bail following the court appearance on Sunday. He reportedly extended both middle fingers as he entered Manhattan Criminal Court in connection to the Sept. 29 confrontation that went from Manhattan’s West Side Highway to a neighborhood street. Prosecutors said Chance, a married father of six, played a key role in the beating of driver Alexian Lien, who ran over another biker in what relatives said was fear for his life.
While Chance didn't hit or kick the driver, he "set into motion a chain of events that resulted in the driver being dragged out of his vehicle and beaten" by others by shattering the SUV's driver's-side window, Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Samantha Turino said.
Chance’s attorney, Gregory Watts, acknowledged that his client broke the window, but video that captured part of the encounter shows that Chance got on his motorcycle after breaking a window and left without hitting Lien or encouraging anyone else to do so, Watts said.
"This is not a man riding around assaulting people with a quote-unquote 'gang,'" Watts said. "We will hotly contest those allegations."
Chance, who reportedly has 21 prior arrests for charges ranging from drugs to robbery to gun possession, has been unemployed since a 2011 layoff from a food-service company, Watts said.
In the bloody confrontation, a group of motorcyclists crossed paths with Lien, who was out for a drive to celebrate his wedding anniversary with his wife and their toddler. One biker, Christopher Cruz, 28, cut off Lien's Range Rover SUV and slowed down before it bumped his motorcycle's rear tire, police and prosecutors said. Cruz is fighting misdemeanor charges including unlawful imprisonment.
Cruz and other bikers stopped and approached Lien, 33; who drove off, running over biker Edwin "Jay" Mieses Jr. and breaking his spine and both his legs. The motorcyclists pursued Lien off the highway and onto a street, then attacked him when he got stuck in traffic, authorities said. Chance's bike was knocked down along the way when another biker tried to open the SUV's door and it drove on, Watts said.
After the SUV's window was broken, Lien was dragged out, beaten and stomped, needing stitches in his face, authorities said. Lien has not been charged with any crime. His family's lawyers declined to comment on Chance's arrest.
Another rider accused of participating in the beating, Robert Sims, 35, of Brooklyn, was arraigned Saturday on charges including gang assault. His lawyer, Luther Williams, said Sims denies the charges.
Prosecutors have declined to charge a fourth man who was arrested, at least for now.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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