Local biker hit in NYC has lengthy criminal record

BOSTON (MyFoxBoston.com) – A Lawrence man who was paralyzed after being struck by an SUV in New York City has a criminal record that includes negligent driving charges.

Edwin Mieses doesn't have a license to drive in Massachusetts and was first charged with negligent driving at age 12. The Registry of Motor Vehicles told FOX 25 Mieses applied for a learner's permit in 1998 and again in 1999, but has never had an active driver's license in the Commonwealth.

Court documents obtained by FOX 25 show Mieses has more than a dozen citations, all for driving on a suspended or revoked license. The offenses date back to 1999.

Mieses also has a pending case out of Lawrence District Court for driving suspended, subsequent offense.

According to the documents, Mass. State Police stopped Mieses on June 28, 2013. The trooper states in his report, "Mieses added that his license has been suspended or revoked ever since she obtained a learner's permit."

Mieses was run over by Alexian Lien's SUV when the man took off after being surrounded by a group of bikers on a New York City highway. Members of the group then followed Lien until he became stuck in traffic, smashed his driver's side window, pulled him out of the car and beat him. The incident was caught on a helmet camera and posted on YouTube.

Lien's wife, who was in the SUV at the time, along with the couple's 2-year-old daughter, released a statement saying the family "was faced with a life-threatening situation" and said Lien was "forced under the circumstances to take the actions that he did in order to protect the lives of our entire family."

A Facebook page was set up in support of Mieses. His family has hired celebrity attorney Gloria Allred in a potential case against Lien.

"He was clearly an innocent victim just standing there trying to get others to just move on," said Allred of her client in a press conference Friday.

Allred maintains Mieses was trying to help when he was hit. She admitted she still has more investigating to do into exactly what happened.

Cox Media Group