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Video Captures Assault On East Bay Cyclist

CASTRO VALLEY (CBS SF) – A woman cycling on Dublin Canyon Road in Castro Valley has captured the moment when a young man, hanging out of a passing car's window, fires a tennis ball in her direction.

You can hear the cyclist's scream as the ball strikes her.

"It's bad when it's an accident, but when it's intentional it's really sad," said Chris Padavana of Eden Bicycles.

Fortunately, her injuries were minor but avid cyclists tell KPIX 5 that his kind of aggressive behavior is becoming more common.

Chris Cover said the rider struck is a close friend. She lives in the area and wants to remain anonymous, but hopes the video will raise the public's awareness of the growing aggression toward cyclists on East Bay roadways.

"Some people may feel we are in the way, the road is theirs, when really the road is for everyone," Cover said. "When a car comes close, it's nerve racking, even when you're not hit - that's why the law is 3 feet."

However, the law was not enough to protect cyclists in Danville over the weekend.

Authorities said 83-year-old Daniel Brennan from San Ramon was involved in two separate weekend hit-and-run accident in less an hour that injured three cyclists – two of them seriously.

"We can't conclusively say what the cause of the collision was and won't probably know for several weeks but so far there doesn't appear there was any malicious intent on the part of the driver," Danville Police Chief Allan Shields said.

Still, Brennan was arrested late Tuesday night.

"There's always tensions on the roadway," Shields said. "What we encourage people to do is show a little patience, and a lot of respect for fellow motorists and cyclists."

So far, there have been no arrests made in the tennis ball incident.

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