TAYLORSVILLE — A Salt Lake man was charged Monday with intentionally swerving at a 24-year-old man riding an e-bike in Taylorsville and knocking him over.
Scott Michael Ryan, 60, is charged in 3rd District Court with aggravated assault resulting in serious injury, a second-degree felony, and reckless driving, a class B misdemeanor.
On Thursday, Taylorsville police responded to a crash near 5300 South and 3600 West, where witnesses reported "a Jeep drove on the wrong side of the road and intentionally struck (the victim), who was riding an electric bicycle. (The victim) fell from his bicycle, rolled, and struck his head on the curb, causing him to lose consciousness and bleed from his ears," according to charging documents.
When questioned, Ryan claimed the victim ran a red light, "causing Ryan to brake hard to avoid a collision," the charges state. Ryan then followed the victim into a parking lot, where the two men got into an argument. The victim then got back on his bike and rode away, but Ryan again followed and hit the man with his vehicle.
"Ryan admitted that he drove on the wrong side of the road, and that both he and (the victim) were 'swerving at each other,' and that he 'should have just driven away,'" charging documents state.
"Ryan chose to engage with the alleged victim, who was a stranger, by following the alleged victim with the intent to inflict harm, instead of driving away," prosecutors concluded.
The victim was taken to a local hospital in serious condition.
