I’ve been a bit too shocked and upset over the murder of a cyclist this weekend on Bouquet Canyon road to write anything about it. Suffice it to say I’m sad for the man, 43 year old Jospeh Novotny of Canyon Country, and his wife and family.
He, and the guys he was riding with, didn’t do anything wrong. They were just out for a club ride, tackling one of the more beautiful rides in the Santa Clarita Valley (Bouquet Canyon is well known throughout Los Angeles County) on a queit Saturday morning. I was thinking of doing that ride on Saturday morning myself.
From the media accounts, he and his fellow club riders were rounding a corner when world-class slimebag Marco Valencia, age 20, allegedly plowed head-on into the group, killing Novotny and injuring two or possibly three others. Valencia left the scene of the crime, reportedly slammed into a car, and drove off before authorities caught him. The Signal says he was booked on several felony charges, including murder and driving while under the influence.
It definitely gives me pause, makes me even think of giving up the sport I’ve come to enjoy.
I’m trying to see if the SC Velo group, the group Novotny was riding with, is willing to organize a Silent Memorial ride in memory of Novotny. In the meantime, I’ve been trying to find everything I can about Valencia.
Valencia is currently in the Men’s “Inmate Reception Center” in downtown Los Angeles awaiting a court date here in Santa Clarita tomorow. I’ve done some more searches using his name and came across this KHTS article, from last fall. Looks like this isn’t the first time Valencia has caused problems:
In what is becoming a regular weekend morning experience, Canyon County residents woke up Sunday morning without power because of a traffic accident.
Canyon Country resident Marco Valencia, 20, was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving after he struck and knocked down a power pole at Ranier Street and Whites Canyon Road.
The power went out at 6:38 a.m. and was restored by 8:20 a.m.
It’s just too coincidental that this guy shares the same name as the guy who ran over the cyclists and was around the same age! It’s more than likely the same Marco Valencia, especially considering he was apparently drunk in the morning when he slammed into a power pole, cutting electricity for Canyon Country last fall!
He should have lost his license then, though I suppose nothing can stop a person from getting behind the wheel of a car.
He’s also mentioned in an article from December 2007, again on KHTS, in which the brief description available says he and a few other gang members were arrested after an LASD sweep.
What’s remarkable is that Valencia isn’t even drinking age. Who provided him the alcohol?