Dr. Michael Mammone was on a bike ride when he was hit by a car and then stabbed to death by the vehicle's driver, police said. There is no known connection between the victim and suspect, leading some to wonder if this was a case of bike rage.
A doctor on an afternoon bike ride on California’s Pacific Coast Highway was slain by a motorist police say intentionally slammed into him from behind and then stabbed him to death. The sheriff’s department says they do not believe the two men knew each other, leading some to question if this could be a case of bike rage.
Dr. Michael Mammone, a beloved emergency physician, was identified as the victim in the brutal killing, which authorities say was carried out by Vanroy Evan Smith, an accountant and father of two.
Smith, who was driving a Lexus, allegedly slammed into Mammone, sending the doctor hurling into the air, and then got out of his car and stabbed Mammone multiple times as he yelled about “white privilege,” according to police. Bystanders tackled Smith to the ground, officials said.
The moment of impact was caught on a Ring camera.
Witnesses can be seen running to help the fatally wounded doctor at the intersection in Dana Point.
Smith was arrested on a murder charge. He has pleaded not guilty.
“To hear such a good friend get taken out like that, it’s horrible and absolutely devastating,” Mammone’s friend and colleague, Dr. Larry Potts, tells Inside Edition. “He was such a humble soul and wonderful physician.”
Mammone’s wife, Julie, shared a photo of her husband.
“This was one of our favorite places to walk,” Julie, a nurse, tells Inside Edition. "I want the world to know what a beautiful man our community has lost."
Police say they are not aware of any prior connection between Mammone and Smith.
Some have questioned if this was a case of bike rage, which, while rare, has occurred in the past.
In one incident, a cyclist was hit on a scenic highway while riding on a designated bike route. Cyclists have also been targeted by a dangerous tactic called “rolling coal,” where a driver purposefully expels nasty gas fumes from modified diesel engines onto the bikers.
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