The terrified family from the vehicle confronted by a mob of motorcyclists have released a statement. INSIDE EDITION has the latest on the story gripping the nation.
We're now hearing from the family involved in that terrifying confrontation with bikers in New York City.
Rosalyn Ng, wife of the driver—33-year-old Alexian Lien—says in a just-released statement:
"Our plan last Sunday was to celebrate our wedding anniversary by having a nice family day out with our two-year-old daughter. Unfortunately, instead, we were placed in grave danger by a mob of reckless and violent motorcyclists."
Cops say the tires of the Range Rover were slashed, and in a panic, Lien ran over a biker, leaving him paralyzed below the waist.
Ng's statement continues: "Our sympathies go out to the injured motorcyclist and his family. However, we were faced with a life-threatening situation, and my husband was forced....to take the actions that he did in order to protect the lives of our entire family."
The horror on the West Side Highway has sparked a national debate about who was right and who was wrong. But the wife says in her statement that she, her, husband and daughter were terrorized and feared for their lives.
"Our fear for our lives was confirmed when the incident ended with the ruthless and brutal attack on my husband, me, and, most importantly, our two-year-old child. We know in our hearts that we could not have done anything differently, and we believe that anyone faced with this sort of grave danger would have taken the same course of action in order to protect their family."
Cops believe the bikers wanted to shut down one of the nation's busiest highways so they could perform tricks. And it's happening everywhere.
Videos online show bikers in St. Louis as they brazenly do wheelies right in front of a cop car.
In one video, roadblocks are set up to stop bikers from zooming down a Midwest interstate, but they just weave around the cops and keep going.
One biker even led a huge pack of his buddies the wrong way up a ramp to get away from cops, forcing cars to scatter to the side of the road.
In another video from Boston, bikers do wheelies in the middle of an intersection and burn rubber in front of cowering pedestrians.
Biker tricks can lead to frightening crashes, and they even post all the mayhem on YouTube for all the world to see.
INSIDE EDITION's Diane McInerney spoke to Jessie Erlbaum, leader of a group that promotes safe and legal motorcycle riding. He says this kind of outlandish biker behavior, as well as the terrifying confrontation on the West Side Highway in Manhattan is a disgrace.
McInerney said, "It's so dangerous. They could kill somebody."
"No one is more angry about this than legitimate motocycle riders. They are the most angry of all," said Erlbaum.
