Vintage_Cyclist

Man suspected of trying to hit Delta bicyclists faces attempted murder charges
By Bill Lindelof and Richard Chang
blindelof@sacbee.com

A man suspected of deliberately running down three bicyclists on a Delta road, seriously injuring two teenage riders, faces attempted murder charges, authorities said Wednesday.

The California Highway Patrol said Alamar Houston, 38, is suspected of two counts of attempted murder, three counts of assault with a deadly weapon (a vehicle) and felony driving under the influence of drugs.

He is accused of hitting two 17-year-old bike riders and a 51-year-old bicyclist about 6 p.m. Tuesday along South River Road. The teens suffered major injuries, while the adult, Donald Dumaine, had minor injuries.

The CHP said that Houston was driving a stolen 2015 Hyundai about 6 p.m. Tuesday north on South River Road, between Clarksburg and West Sacramento, when he came alongside one of the cyclists riding in the same direction.

Houston deliberately turned, striking the cyclist and causing him to fall, witnesses told officers.

Houston headed northbound for about a quarter mile to where he came upon the other two bicyclists riding in the same direction. Houston then deliberately struck them from behind, according to a CHP press release.

Those two bicyclists were also thrown to the ground. Houston then allegedly fled the scene, only to be later be spotted by a West Sacramento police officer.

In an interview, Dumaine said he was the one first struck by the Hyundai from the side. A few minutes later, he said, the two teens were hit by the car further up the road.

“I could just sense it was on purpose,” said Dumaine. “I didn’t see any brake lights. When he came into me, he kept pushing me.”

West Sacramento Sgt. Roger Kinney said that the vehicle, with major front end damage, was pursued into Sacramento where Houston drove down an alley in the area of 10th Street, between J and K streets.

Houston got out of the stolen car and was chased by an officer with a police dog. Police eventually took Houston into custody.

West Sacramento added charges of evading police, resisting arrest, possession of a stolen vehicle and assaulting a police dog to the list of offenses Houston faces.

The CHP said that Houston would be arraigned on Thursday.

Chris516

If I remember the commercial correctly, this story reminds me of the old Star Kist tuna commercial. Where the tuna fish says "Say Hey Charlie(Manson)". Mr. Houston should be in the same cell block at Charles Manson, at San Quentin.

genec

Hmmm. No drugs or alcohol involved... should be able to get off with the old "I didn't see em" defense.

prathmann

Did you read the same article?
"... two counts of attempted murder, three counts of assault with a deadly weapon (a vehicle) and felony driving under the influence of drugs...evading police, resisting arrest, possession of a stolen vehicle and assaulting a police dog"

Some of those charges might be plea-bargained down a bit to avoid the need for a trial, but I don't see him walking away from this.

B. Carfree

While I agree that the requirement that motorists leave the scene and/or be intoxicated in order to be charged and convicted of a crime is bogus, this one is not going to walk since he did both. The fact that two of his victims are minors isn't going to win him any sympathy with the jury either. Sadly, what will likely seal the deal with the jury pool is the fact that he had the nerve to steal someone's car. Car addicts just hate car thieves.

dynodonn 

I'll bet that this offense will be one of the major sentences that this person receives, with hitting the cyclists being equal or less time served.

mconlonx

Nope. The most serious charges will be:

" evading police, resisting arrest,.." and especially, "assaulting a police dog."

genec

Yup, hitting the cyclists was "free." They will get this guy on lots of other charges.

B. Carfree

He looks to be a real piece of work. Driver who hit cyclists denies attempted murder allegations

howsteepisit

Reading the linked article, he is a example of the mental health system's ineffectiveness, in the meantime, he would appear to be a threat to all society, needs to be incarcerated or placed in a treatment facility. We have a few like this in the Northwest too.

B. Carfree

Yes indeed. His PNW version would be the fine homeless fellow last year who, after being caught with the goods from a burglary (good police work, by the way) plus meth, a loaded handgun in the cab of a pick-up (felony) and a machine gun in the back, was turned loose by our now-outgoing DA without prosecution. Upon release, he killed a former colleague of his late father, burned his house down, car-jacked two people, drove south and then got into two shoot-outs in Mendocino County, one of which resulted in the death of a deputy sheriff (the second responder killed the miscreant).

While every region of the country likely has some of these folks, some of them handle the situation better than others as shown by the fact that Yolo County, CA is prosecuting their troubled criminal and Lane County, OR just puts ours back on the street. At least when they are in jail they don't harm the public and there is the, albeit small, chance that they might get some treatment prior to release.

kickstart

It seems the usual suspects here are having their typical reading comprehension issues fueled by their unsubstantiated biases.

"A man suspected of deliberately running down three bicyclists on a Delta road, seriously injuring two teenage riders, faces attempted murder charges, authorities said Wednesday."

"West Sacramento added charges of evading police, resisting arrest, possession of a stolen vehicle and assaulting a police dog to the list of offenses Houston faces."

smasha

"his latest case in a criminal history spanning 20 years and at least four counties."

"Appearing in Yolo Superior Court in a wheelchair, Houston, a 38-year-old transient, entered the not-guilty plea through his court-appointed public defender."

"Prior to the chase, Houston allegedly assaulted a Walgreens clerk who confronted him during a shoplifting incident, which escalated the act to a robbery, Kinney said."

"Prosecutors and online court records indicate Houston’s criminal history is extensive, dating back to at least 1995 in counties including Sacramento, Yolo, Solano and Glenn. The offenses have ranged from theft to domestic violence to robbery."

"His release in November was followed by the case’s reduction from a felony to a misdemeanor under the newly passed Proposition 47, the state ballot measure that reduces penalties for certain offenses. Houston was released from jail on his own recognizance but subsequently failed to appear in court, prompting a warrant to be issued for his arrest."

"Davis police responding to reports of an intoxicated man throwing rocks at passing cars on April 5 arrested Houston on suspicion of being drunk in public, but the Yolo County District Attorney’s Office declined to file charges in the case, court records show."

"Just over two weeks later, on April 22, Houston pleaded no contest in Sacramento Superior Court to a misdemeanor count of misappropriating lost property, which drew him a sentence of three years of probation and 120 days in jail, though his alleged acts on Tuesday indicate he was released well before then."

i'm pretty liberal when it comes to "justice", but at some point i have to ask why was this guy not locked up for good, for the protection of society? seriously, it would cost less taxpayer money to keep him locked up in a small cage than to let him roam free.

nb - he's 38, with a criminal history going back 20 years... to when he was 18. why do i suspect that there's a criminal history prior to 1995, but sealed because he was under 18...?