By: Stacey Welsh
EL PASO, Texas -- Cyclists in the Critical Mass group said they
were worried people could get hurt when an off-duty officer from the El Paso
Police Department started weaving through their crowd Friday night.
"It was complete
chaos," Critical Mass organizer Emmanuel Barraza said.
Barraza said his group of
cyclists often "corks" or blocks off downtown El Paso streets during
their monthly ride. He said this happens because there are usually about 150
riders in the group.
"It's safer for us to keep
it as a group, even if we have to run the red lights," Barraza said.
The El Paso Police Department
said blocking streets and running red lights is illegal, and that's why police
say the off-duty officer, Jorge Gonzalez, tried to break up the cyclists.
However, police are investigating whether he is justified in taking action
while off duty.
"Internal affairs will be
handling the case. It is considered a criminal case, at this time no one has
been booked," Detective Mike Baranyay said in a statement. Baranyay is a
spokesperson for the El Paso Police Department.
Some are worried this incident
will discourage others from riding bikes.
"My understanding is there
were a lot of young kids in that group and a lot of parents riding with their
kids. I just think it's really disappointing that this actually happened,"
Crazy Cat Cyclery general manager Belen Barrio-Arriaga said.
Scott White of the local
cycling group Velo Paso said this incident should raise awareness of how
drivers and cyclists could better share the road.
"It's a protest for the
cyclists to be noticed, and that's the spirit of the Critical Mass," Barraza said.
Critical Mass also wants to
keep something like this from happening again and encourages people to keep
riding.
"We need to talk to the
city or somebody because we need help. If they don't want us to cork then [we
would like] them to help us with escorting or have police help us,"
Barraza said.
The Police Department hopes to
release more information about this case early next week.