Road Rage in Florida

[PeoriaMac]

(Panama City Beach, Florida-AP) -- A 26-year-old Arkansas man
has been arrested and charged with two open counts of murder after he allegedly ran down a group of motorcyclists yesterday in Panama City Beach, Florida.
Police say Timothy Pilgren of Texarkana had argued with the five bikers from Michigan before allegedly ramming them with a stolen pickup truck.
Witnesses told police the driver of the pick-up chased the motorcyclists about a half-mile down a coastal highway before
hitting them and dragging them along the road.
Authorities say a woman died on the scene and a male biker was declared dead at a nearby hospital. Another man was taken to the hospital in critical condition but has now been upgraded to serious.
An open count of murder lets authorities hold a suspect until prosecutors or a grand jury determine the degree of the alleged crime.
^

[Cliffy777]

Would like to learn the entire story on that. What a waste.

[YB in IN]

*Ouch* This sounds like someone went severely off the deep end. I hope that they nail him to the fullest extent of the law.

[oldcarkook]

Angry man plows pickup through Outlaws group, killing 2, injuring 1
By Associated Press
October 31, 2003

PANAMA CITY BEACH -- A man in a stolen pickup truck argued with six members of the Outlaws motorcycle gang and then ran over them as they rode away, killing two and seriously injuring a third, police said Thursday.

Timothy E. Pilgren, 26, of Texarkana, Ark., was being held without bond at the Bay County Jail on two open counts of murder after the deaths Wednesday in this Florida Panhandle resort city. Open counts of murder let authorities hold a suspect until a prosecutor or a grand jury decides on the degree of the alleged crime.

"He pulled up behind the five motorcycles, hit the gas, and plowed right through them," said Deputy Police Chief David Humphreys.

Two of the riders were on one bike. They were members of the Bay City, Mich., chapter of the Outlaws, Humphreys said.

Nola Zietler, 47, of Bay City, died at the scene and Donald Dunham, 61, of Brethren, Mich. was declared dead at Bay Medical Center in nearby Panama City. Larry Berryman, 57, of St. Ignace, Mich., was taken to the hospital in critical condition but upgraded to serious Thursday, Humphreys said.

The confrontation began when Pilgren tried to sell silver certificates, paper currency once issued by the U.S. government that were backed by silver bullion, to the bikers at a public pier, Humphreys said.

Pilgren then called the bikers "old" and one of them punched him in the chest before they rode off down a coastal highway, Humphreys said.

Witnesses told police that Pilgren chased the bikers in the truck and ran over them about a half-mile away, dragging the victims along the road.

Two of the bikers, Leroy Frasier, 45, of Saginaw, Mich., and Kim Galaviz, of Bay City, whose age was unavailable, got back on their motorcycles and chased the truck. They alerted an officer in a marked state Department of Environmental Protection vehicle who joined the pursuit.

"They chased the truck to a dead end road, when the individual rammed the vehicle," said Humphreys.

Pilgren struggled with the DEP officer, Capt. David King, over his gun and it discharged, but no one was injured, said sheriff's spokeswoman Ruth Sasser.

The sixth biker, Nathan Frasier, 23, of Mount Pleasant, Mich., was slightly injured and did not require hospitalization, Humphreys said. He was unsure whether the Frasiers are related.

Police also planned to charge Pilgren with four counts of attempted murder, Humphreys said. Sheriff's deputies charged him with fleeing and attempting to elude, aggravated battery on a law enforcement officer, resisting arrest with violence and attempting to deprive an officer of his weapon.

A crowd gathered from a nearby bar and mobile home park.

"The people here at the scene were shocked," Humphreys said. "We're a resort community on the coast. We don't get many murders."

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement was assisting in the investigation. Jail records did not indicate whether Pilgren had a lawyer.

Former Outlaws leader James Lee "Frank" Wheeler was convicted of racketeering Sept. 30 in Tampa.

[Cliffy777]

Thanks for the information. Someone told me the guy in the pick-up was high and/or drunk. You would have to be out of your skull in some way to mess with the Outlaws much less mow down a bunch of bikers in your truck.
IMHO it is too bad the guy didn't really resist the arrest and cause the cop to put him out of his obvious misery. He better hope he gets put in a correctional facility that doesn't allow any bikers in it because I am guessing his life span will be shorter than the average prisoner.