Ricardo José Neis, attempted murderer...
This is one of those stories that could have turned out very badly... but once you think about it, actually turned out for the best.
Man accused of speeding into pack of cyclists jailed in southern Brazil
SAO PAULO - A motorist accused of running down dozens of bike-riding activists in southern Brazil has been detained. A police statement says Ricardo José Neis was arrested in the city of Porto Alegre after a judge ordered his preventive detention....
Neis is accused of speeding through a pack of more than 100 cyclists taking part in a Critical Mass ride Friday in Porto Alegre. Authorities say 40 riders suffered injuries including cuts and broken bones, though nobody was killed. Prosecutors say they are considering charges of attempted homicide (under Brazilian law, suspects are not charged until police finish their investigation, which could take up to 30 days).
Neis' attorney, Luis Fernando Coimbra, has claimed that the cyclists were beating on his client's car and threatening him, and he acted in self defence. However, people who took part in the ride deny anyone threatened Neis, and the lead police investigator in the case, Gilberto Montenegro, has called the suspect's story "fanciful."
~ From The Canadian Press
The story on the Brazilian news site "Tera" includes the obligatory stunned-looking mug shot and coverage on Zero Hora contributes further details. It turns out that Neis is a wealthy, high-ranking banker - a group that hasn't been particularly popular since that economic meltdown a couple of years ago. Even better, the possibility of attempted-murder charges was prompted Neis' own testimony during his initial questioning by police, who found him to be remorseless and arrogant during the interview.
I suppose the entire car-free crowd should be thanking him. No one was killed, but now, every time someone makes the slightest attempt to cook up a coherent-sounding argument about bicycles being a bad idea... the phrase "Ricardo José Neis, attempted murderer" can be used to dismissively shut them up before they've finished a single sentence. It's not every day that someone hands you a public-relations victory at their own expense.