New York City Police are looking for a group of motorcyclists who chased down an SUV and beat the driver.  One of the cyclists captured the entire chase on video.  For what reason, is unknown at this time but he appeared to be wearing a helmet cam.  The reason for the chase appeared to be captured in the video. At one point It shows the motorcyclists converging on the man’s vehicle on the West Side Highway in Harlem, and he apparently clipped a bike that cut closely in front of him. The motorcycle rider suffered a broken leg, according to Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly. Some of the other bikers then surrounded the SUV.  If the SUV did in fact hit one or more of the bikers, then they should have called police and given them the license plate number.  According to police, the bikers held an illegal rally but much is still unknown. When the bikers finally cornered the man, a couple smashed his window and  beat him in front of his wife and two-year-old daughter, who were both with him during the chase.  The video went on for six minutes.

But that’s not the reason for reporting this story.  The real purpose is to explain to the lay person what to do if ever found in this situation.  1) with the number of bikers in pursuit, the assumption must be that your life is in danger.  2) make sure the doors and windows are locked. 3) Call 911 and tell the emergency operator your exact location and direction you’re traveling. 4) Last resort, a motorcycle is no match for a five thousand pound SUV.  At several times during the chase they were traveling at high rates of speed.  It doesn’t take much to knock a biker off his or her bike at that velocity.  Even if surrounded by multiple bikes at high-speed, a gentle nudge is all that’s needed.  I’m not suggesting injuring or killing people for no good reason but this man’s life as well as the lives of his wife and two-year old daughter were clearly in jeopardy.  And that’s what the law refers to as self-defense.

As a martial arts instructor you can’t teach killer instinct but we all have the will to survive just like any other animals.  Add the incentive of protecting your loved ones and you do what you have to do.  Assuming it’s necessary to litter the streets with bodies and bikes, the next move or 5) is to head directly to a police station.  Report what happened and if it ever made it to court, which in all likelihood it would not, it’s better to be judged by 12 than carried by 6.  Every martial artist knows and understands the ramifications of his or her actions.  But all would choose life over death or the unknown.  Do not allow yourself to be a sheep, a victim.  In a world where the rules have changed dramatically, it’s still the responsibility of any man to protect the life of his wife and child(ren) even if it means sacrificing his own.