By Noah Alatza
Westfield Police identified Steven Boller as the bicyclist they have been looking for since an alleged road rage incident in late May. Boller has been charged with two misdemeanor counts of battery resulting in bodily injury and a disorderly conduct charge.
Boller, of Carmel, denies that he attacked driver Laura Koehler Euser.
Boller said Euser was the aggressor and attempted to knock him off his bike as he was riding along 161st Street and Carey Road May 28.
“This woman tried attacking me in her vehicle. Her tires were squealing as her car came up to me, I think she tried to kill me,” Boller said. “While the SUV was passing me, it was close enough that it was nearly brushing my right leg. I put my right hand onto the driver’s mirror to alert the driver of the near contact and to push me away from the vehicle.”
Boller said the entire incident lasted approximately 35 seconds before he rode off.
“(She) laid on her horn aggressively and for no reason,” he said. “I had no idea who was in the vehicle.”
Euser previously told police that Boller made an obscene gesture prior to the encounter, and that’s what sparked the confrontation.
“(The) last thing I’m going to be doing while riding is looking behind me to flip someone off,” Boller said.
After a brief verbal exchange, Boller said he turned back to head for his bike because the situation was getting worse.
“I heard someone yelling and screaming, then I started to ride away,” he said. “(She) then tried to grab my shirt and pull me back.”
Boller, in his 32nd season of biking, said he usually rides with cameras on, but they were not working that day. He said this was not the first time he has been involved in a bike/car incident.
“Being attacked by motorists isn’t an exception anymore, it’s becoming normal,” Boller said, noting that after a previous incident police were not able to assist.
“The police would tell me, ‘What do you want us to do about someone swerving around you?’”
Boller said.
Boller said his name and reputation have been tarnished by the most recent incident, and he wants to proceed with legal action against the driver.
Police encourage motorists and cyclists to not engage and ignore the person who may be attempting to create a road rage incident.
“We always ask that bicyclists always be mindful of the dangers a particular road may have,” Westfield Police Dept. Capt. Charles Hollowell told Current last month.
