[Ed Lim]

Hi all,

I recently heard a story, how much of which I don't know is true, about an urban gang initiation that is increasingly common in the suburbs of major U.S cities like L.A. and Chicago. It involves the candidate riding a bicycle, usually stolen, on heavily traveled roads at dusk. If a driver beeps at the rider, the rider must catch up to the car at the next intersection and POP POP POP!

A similar story was told:
A police officer investigated a van which was stopped at an intersection, that had not proceeded after the light had changed to green several times. The officer discovered three teens, two of whom had been shot to death, the driver once in the chest, a front passenger in the head, and the rear seat passenger severly injured in the buttocks and the upper back of the thigh. Investigators were puzzled at the latter victim's injuries. It was further revealed, by bullet holes in the rear side window and an eyewitness further up the road who said that the occupants of the van had been taunting and "mooning" a cyclist in traffic.

Anyone familiar with this story, or is it just an urban legend? My driver's ed teacher always told us to share the road with cyclists, give them plenty of room and not to distract or beep at them riding on the side of the road. Is this the reason?