Photo by philliefan99

The owner of a pick-up truck that was captured on camera last year hitting a bicyclist turned himself in to D.C. police last week. As it turns out, the owner is a former Metropolitan Police Department officer himself.

John W. Diehl answered a bench warrant last week after hearing about it from a reporter with The Washington Times, the newspaper reported Saturday. Authorities identified Diehl as the owner of the truck, a Toyota Tacoma, from a glimpse of the license plate captured by the cyclist’s helmet-mounted camera.

Although it’s been nine months since the collision, it took this long to bring Diehl in because “authorities were apparently unable to serve him a judicial summons ordering him to show up for court,” the Times reported.

In the video recorded last August 31, the cyclist, Evan Wilder, was pedaling up Rhode Island Avenue NE in the center lane. About a minute into the video, a pick-up truck approaches Wilder’s left-hand side with the driver proceeding to admonish Wilder to get closer to the curb.

“Better move your genius ass to the fucking right,” the driver says.

A few seconds later, the truck’s flatbed appears to clip Wilder’s bike, sending him tumbling to the ground.

The incident sparked a fresh round of outrage from the District’s cycling community demanding that bike safety be more of a priority. The Washington Area Bicyclist Association pushed for legislation in the D.C. Council—the Assault of Bicyclists Prevention Act—though it never got more than a perfunctory hearing from the Council’s Judiciary Committee. The bill would have provided cyclists an easier route to filing civil charges against drivers who strike or harass them, including attorneys fees in the event of a court victory. Some analysts, like noted urban fussypants Chuck Thies, called the bill “hogwash” that “represents yet another expansion of our increasingly litigious society.”

Though he came forward after hearing about the warrant, Diehl repeated to the Times his denial that he was the one driving the Toyota pick-up seen in Wilder’s video:

“I’m going to have to wait and see what happens,” said Mr. Diehl, who denied being involved in the collision or knowing that there was a warrant out for him.

When interviewed by a police officer about two weeks after the crash, Mr. Diehl similarly denied knowledge of it, according to court records. The investigating officer noted that Mr. Diehl’s truck appeared to have a small dent on the rear passenger-side fender.

Diehl is due back in D.C. Superior Court on July 2. Wilder did not respond to an email requesting comment.

UPDATE, 11:45 a.m.: Evan Wilder, the cyclist who was struck in the video, tells DCist in an email that he is pleased to see some progress on this matter. “I am glad that the justice system is moving toward hearing the case,” he says.

Wilder is also still hoping to see some movement on the Assault of Bicyclists Prevention Act, saying that it would help him mount a civil case against the driver. “Without this act I have been unable to find a lawyer who is willing and able to pursue civil action,” he says.