Investigation Continues Into the Attack On Chicago Cyclist, Jana Kinsman

The media fury has died down, but the affects of being attacked by persons in an SUV while biking in the Logan Square neighborhood linger for Chicago cyclist, Jana Kinsman.  The 27 year old owner of Bike A Bee was the victim of what police are calling an aggravated battery as she rode her bike north, near the intersection of North Kimball Avenue and West Wrightwood Avenue , just after midnight on August 20th. 

The driver and passengers that attacked Jana are still being sought.  The vehicle involved was a maroon colored Chevy Tahoe, or similar vehicle.  A witness at the scene identified the vehicle as a Tahoe specifically. There are a lot a maroon Tahoes in Chicago (start looking for them and you'll notice).  However, the vehicle involved as some distinguishing characteristics.  It has thin, gold pin striping just under the side windows.  It does not have a roof rack.  It has four doors.  Its vintage is not known, but it appears to have rounded features, suggesting that it is not a very old vehicle.  Here are stills taken from two known videos of the SUV:

The maroon SUV at the intersection of Kimball, Diversey
and Milwaukee shortly after the attack.

The vehicle just north of Kimball and Wrightwood fleeing the
scene, courtesy DNAInfo

The bottom photograph is from video taken by a security camera attached to the outside of a pre-school at the intersection where the attack occurred.  Jana was pulled to the ground by a passenger in the rear of the truck who had grabbed her messenger bag as she rode north on the right side of Kimball.  The top photograph is a still from video shot by the red light camera several block north.  In it, the vehicle is seen making a right turn onto either West Diversey Avenue or North Milwaukee Avenue.  Because it did not run the red light at that intersection, the red light camera did not photograph the vehicle's license plate.  Jana has confirmed that the vehicle shown in both screen captures above are the vehicle involved in the attack.

Chicago police seem to be taking this matter seriously.  They are treating this matter as an aggravated battery rather than a simple hit and run.  As a result, the CPD has assigned two detectives to investigate the matter. Jana and I met with them on August 23rd.  We looked at the red light camera footage together.  After Jana identified the vehicle in the video, the detectives told us they would obtain additional footage from other cameras, essentially following the vehicle through the city to the driver's eventual destination.  The hope is that once the vehicle is found, we will have the driver.

A few days after the incident, we thought we had identified and located the driver.  A friend of Jana's photographed a maroon Tahoe parked near the site.  We ran the plates and obtained the name and address of the vehicle's owner.  Police questioned the man and ruled him out as a suspect.  Also, his vehicle had a roof rack, a feature which appears to be absent on the vehicle involved.

Many people have sent us emails inquiring about the possibility that there is a link between the attack on Jana and a hit and run fatality that took place in the Rogers Park neighborhood several hours earlier.  On August 19th at around 6:20 p.m. an 83 year old man was struck and killed by the driver of a maroon SUV which may have been a Chevy Tahoe or Suburban.  The driver fled the scene and has not yet been located.  There is no reason I am aware of to believe that the two incidents involved the same vehicle or driver other than the fact that both vehicles involved were maroon SUVs.  Here is a photo of that vehicle taken from a red light camera near Rockwell Street and Peterson Avenue:

Photo of the vehicle involved in the Rogers Park incident.
Courtesy The Chicago Tribune

While we would appreciate any tips that can be offered by the general public, please bear in mind that the persons responsible for the attack on Jana may be dangerous.  Do not put yourself at risk.  If you have a tip, we can be reached at 312.629.1901 or via email at brendan@fklawillinois.com.

Investigation Underway For Driver Of SUV, and Others, Who Attacked Chicago Bicyclist

Our law firm is conducting an investigation into who attacked Chicago bicyclist, Jana Kinsman, yesterday.  The widely reported incident occurred after midnight on Tuesday, August 20th just north of the intersection of North Kimball Avenue and West Wrightwood Avenue in the Logan Square neighborhood. Jana was riding north on Kimball and had just passed Wrightwood when three men in their late twenties or early thirties drove up next to her in a maroon colored Chevy Tahoe.  The driver drifted the large vehicle right, pressing against Jana and her bicycle.  She could hear the men laughing at her and speaking to one another in Spanish.  One of the passengers then reached out of a window and grabbed her messenger bag as Jana screamed.  The driver turned the SUV hard into Jana causing her to crash.  The vehicle then sped north on Kimball, fleeing the scene.  Jana was left frightened, and with a badly injured left arm.  Her bicycle was also badly damaged.

Today, our firm was retained to find the driver and the others who participated in this attack and make sure they are held accountable.  We have been in contact with the Chicago Police Department which is also conducting an investigation.  The CPD have categorized this matter as an aggravated battery, rather than a "simple" hit and run incident. Generally, under Illinois law battery may become "aggravated" when it involves the use of a deadly weapon. There is precedent for a motor vehicle being treated as a deadly weapon under Illinois law. We are presently looking into several leads which we hope will lead us to the owner of the vehicle involved. The general public is asked to contact us, or the police department if they have any information related in this incident.  We can be reached at 312.629.1901 or via email at brendan@fklawillinois.com.

Video of the event has been obtained from security cameras outside of a preschool located near the scene of the crash.  The footage was released earlier today on the DNAinfo website.

The incident has gained widespread attention in Chicago and well-beyond.  Jana told us that she has been blown away by the outpouring of kindness from as far away as Glasgow, Scotland.  Much of that attention is perhaps because of who Jana is, the well-known 27 year old owner of Bike A Bee, a business she founded to promote and conduct urban beekeeping.  Jana is often seen around Chicago riding her bike to and from the several hives she maintains.  The work is physical, and her injuries have left her incapacitated. She does not have health insurance. Late yesterday, a fellow bee keeper in San Diego set up a Giveforward campaign to raise money for Jana so she can pay her bills.  Local bicycle shops have offered to fix her bicycle for free.

Perhaps much of the attention is also due to the attack occurring to someone riding a bicycle.  This is the summer of the bicycle in Chicago.  In June, the city launched a new bike share program.  Miles new bike specific road infrastructure have been put in place to encourage more people to ride.  With these and other initiatives, scores of people are now riding around the city not just for exercise, but simply as transportation. That a cyclist could be singled out for attack, perhaps just because she was riding her bike has sent a shutter of concern throughout the cycling community.