Bicyclist Shoots at Car During Road Rage Confrontation

HEMET - A bicyclist shot into a car occupied by a man, woman and child -- none of whom were hit -- during a confrontation in Hemet between the driver and a friend of the shooter, who slipped away in a waiting vehicle, authorities said today.

The attack happened around 4 p.m. Thursday near the intersection of Johnston and Taylor streets, according to Hemet police Sgt. Eddie Pust.

He said the driver of a white Mercedes-Benz and a man at the wheel of a black Mercedes got into a rolling confrontation at Florida Avenue and Stanford Street, with each motorist riding the other's bumper for several miles.

According to Pust, when the driver of the white Mercedes reached Johnston and Taylor streets, he made a U-turn to leave the area and break off the exchange. At the same time, a man wearing a hooded sweatshirt and riding a BMX bike rode alongside the Mercedes and brandished a handgun, Pust said.

''He fired several rounds at the white Mercedes, which collided with a tree,'' the sergeant said. ''The suspect dropped the bike and jumped into the black Mercedes, which sped away.''

The three occupants of the white car were not injured by the gunfire, though the woman did receive medical treatment for an unspecified injury, according to Pust.

No description of the bicyclist or the driver of the black Mercedes was immediately available.