Mother says she was attacked by man on bike, spit on

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Tension between cyclists and drivers is not new but it reached new lows for a neighborhood in the Heights Wednesday when a man on a bicycle spat in a driver's face, according to witnesses.

"He spit right nice on the side of her face," Nick Pagel said.

Driving down White Oak at the intersection of the hike and bike trail, Pagel said his wife had to slam on her brakes to keep from hitting the cyclist who didn't yield.

Pagel was on the phone with his wife when he heard the confrontation. His wife called him afterward and told him the man spit on her before taking off on his bike.

Logan Hamilton works nearby at JuiceLand and heard the commotion.

"She rolled down her window and started talking to him like 'hey, you need to watch where you're going.' And he yelled back and said 'you need to stop going fast,'" Hamilton said.

Then, things got more heated.

"He pulled around closer to her car, spit in her face and drove off really quickly," Hamilton said.

"My blood was boiling I was pretty furious that someone spit on my wife's face especially when our two young kids were in the car," Pagel said.

They called the Harris County Precinct One Constable's office and deputies who took a report told the family if they see the cyclist again to call dispatchers and let law enforcement handle it.

The constable's office said face spitting could lead to assault charges.

The cyclist is described as a man with short grayish blonde hair, last seen wearing a sweater.

Authorities suggest not confronting another motorist or cyclist to correct them, as sometimes the outcome is much more dangerous than a spit in the face.