MANHATTAN CRIMINAL COURT — The motorcyclist that prosecutors say tried to pry open the door of a Manhattan father's SUV and then joined in with a group of others who stomped and beat the man unconscious was indicted Thursday afternoon, a source said.
Robert Sims, 35, was recorded on a video joining a pack of cyclists who chased Alexian Lien uptown after a confrontation on the Henry Hudson Parkway on Sept. 29 and then attacked him as his wife and daughter sat helpless in their Range Rover SUV, according to the Manhattan District Attorney's office.
Sims, an electrician, who appeared briefly in court before the panel voted Thursday, will be arraigned on the indictment on Oct. 30. He is being held on $200,000 bond.
At that hearing, Sims's lawyer argued the bail—the highest for any of the suspects —was excessive considering he turned himself in and set a dangerous precedent.
"I feel it is going to have a chilling effect on the general public in terms of cooperating with the police," Luther Williams said. "If you cooperate and surrender, you still get held on this type of bail."
Williams downplayed Sims's involvement in the attack, claiming his client assisted Edwin Mieses, who suffered crippling injuries when the Lien drove over him in his Range Rover.
"My client primarily assisted with Mr. Mieses, the young man who got run over who we all seem to be forgetting," he said. "We seem to be forgetting the fact the SUV ran someone over."
Meanwhile, a seventh motorcyclist was charged in the gang attack.
James Kuehne, 31, of Gravesend, was arraigned on charges of gang assault, assault and criminal mischief Thursday afternoon in Manhattan Criminal Court. He pleaded not guilty.
Assistant District Attorney Samatha Turino said that Kuehne was seen on a video wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, black sneakers, black gloves and a black back brace breaking the rear window of the SUV with his helmet while others pulled Lien from the vehicle and beat him.
Lien suffered cuts above both his eyes, his right cheek and left side of his body that required multiple stitches. He also suffered a cut lip, two black eyes and scraps and bruises to his back, shoulder and hands, prosecutors said.
Turino said that while Kuehne smashed the window while "others terrorized his wife and little baby."
He was ordered held on $200,000 bond.
His lawyer, Joseph Mure Jr, said that the full story of his client's involvement has yet to be revealed.
"I promise you as this case goes we're going to hear things that day that are a lot different than they are showing on the video. Things aren't always what they seem to be. There are lots of witness out there that saw a lot of different things," Mure said.
The lawyer described Kuehne as a good father with no criminal record.
