Crime & Safety

Mount Washington Man Arrested in Cyclist Assault

The suspect, Louis Mraz, is a member of the Mount Washington Homeowners Alliance.

According to the Los Angeles Police Department's official blog, Mount Washington resident Louis Mraz has been arrested on suspicion of running down a cyclist on Avenue 50 in late May.

As on Highland Park-Mount Washington Patch, Highland Park resident Winona Wacker was cycling along Avenue 50 near Buchanan Street when a man in a white convertible, later identified as Mraz, allegedly ran her down on purpose. 

Wacker provided her account of the incident in a. 

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“He laid on his horn, then yelled back at me, ‘You wanna test your weight against mine?’” Wacker said. “[He] continued blowing his horn, hit the gas and then sped up to run me down.”

Wacker said a Good Samaritan stopped to attend to her by the side of the road, and then sped along to retrieve the motorist's license plate number.

In the LAPD'S blog entry, which was posted earlier on Friday, officers stated that an eyewitness account corroborated Wacker's story, despite an account from Mraz that he had made every possible effort to avoid hitting her and did not see her lying on the ground. 

Find out what's happening in Highland Park-Mount Washingtonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

He claimed he was not able to safely pass and began honking his horn.  He heard the cyclist tell him she had every right to be there and continued riding.  Mraz claimed that once he was finally able to pass, the cyclist struck the passenger side mirror with her hand.  As he drove away, he saw the cyclist still riding her bike.

According to the entry, LAPD received a warrant from the Los Angeles County District Attorney's office and arrested Mraz on July 6.

Mraz, a member of the Mount Washington Homeowner's Alliance, was released on bail after the arrest.

Police are still seeking more information about the incident.

 


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