SF Police Seek Driver Who Hit Gay Cyclist

San Francisco police are looking for the driver of a red Cadillac who allegedly struck a gay bicyclist and accelerated toward the man, with the cyclist taking a "scary" ride on the car's hood.

Maxwell Wallace, 24, of San Francisco, said the Monday, September 28 incident started at about 11 a.m. as he was riding his bike east on Fulton on his way to his health care job downtown.

Wallace, who was in the bike lane, said that he had entered the intersection at Divisadero Street when "the car swiped me on the left side."

The driver stopped. Wallace said he put down his bike and "walked to the front of his car to take a photo of the license plate."

As Wallace stood there, the driver "pressed on the gas and tried to hit me. ... I jumped and hit the hood of his car and hit the windshield."

Wallace said the driver accelerated for 100 feet as he held on to the windshield. When the car finally stopped, Wallace got off. The driver "pulled over and waited for a few minutes," but "they left the scene before police showed up," he said.

"It was incredibly scary," Wallace said. "I was confused why the driver would try to deliberately run me over."

A photograph circulated on the Internet shows Wallace on the hood of the car. He said he didn't know the photographer's name.

Wallace said he's experienced "bruises and soreness" from the incident and was "shaken up, but I didn't break anything." Paramedics assessed him at the scene and he went to urgent care for treatment.

He said the driver was "an older man" who was accompanied by a female passenger.

Wallace, who's been bicycling in the city since he was 8 and has "never been hit by a car" before, said, "I have full faith the SFPD will do a thorough investigation and that the DA's office will prosecute him."

He said, "I would like to live in a city where it's safe for me to bike, and I don't have to be the victim of aggressive drivers."

Wallace would like to see the driver charged with hit and run and assault with a deadly weapon. He'd also like to see the driver "cited for not giving me enough space."

Officer Albie Esparza, a San Francisco Police Department spokesman, said Friday that no suspects have been identified. He said the driver was a black male wearing "a light blue denim shirt, dark sunglasses, and a hat."

Esparza said the driver's height, weight, and approximate age were unknown. He also couldn't provide the car's license plate number.

Anyone with information in the case may contact the police anonymous tip line at (415) 575-4444 or text a tip to TIP411. Type SFPD in the subject line. The incident number is 150849922.