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Cyclist Says Rock That Hit Him Was The 'Size Of A Grapefruit'

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- A Minneapolis bicyclist is recovering after a rock thrown from a vehicle hit him in the chest.

Twenty-year-old Mitchell suffered a broken collarbone from the incident on July 20. Since then, police say four other bicyclists have been hit by rocks or concrete thrown from a vehicle.

And they believe the same driver is responsible in all five cases.

"It just happened so fast," Mitchell said, recalling the July 20 incident.

So fast that it took Mitchell some time to figure out what actually happened.

He was biking home from work on 2nd Street when he noticed a truck driving in the opposite direction was swerving towards him. That's when the driver threw something at him.

"The breath was knocked out of me," Mitchell said. "I paused on my bike and set it down and took a moment to see what was actually thrown at me. And it was a rock about the size of a grapefruit."

And that's when Mitchell knew it was deliberate.

The rock broke his right collarbone and left deep bruises.

rock chest
(credit: CBS)

Little did Mitchell know at the time, but he would be the first of five bikers who suffered similar assaults in Minneapolis.

Another victim was 20-year-old Mackenzie Jensen, who has five broken bones in his face after the driver threw a piece of concrete at him.

"It's sad that the guy broke his jaw and multiple other bones in his face just because of this guy's anger," Mitchell said.

A college wrestler, Mitchell is concerned his collarbone won't be fully healed by the time training starts in October.

Doctors have told him it could take eight weeks before his injuries are fully healed. Until the assailant is caught, Mitchell is warning other bicyclists to stay on high alert.

"I definitely feel if he continues the same path he's going down, he could kill somebody. If the rock had hit me in the head, I could have died or at least gotten a severe concussion," Mitchell said.

Police say the suspect is a tanned, white male, or possibly Hispanic.

He is approximately 20 to 28 years of age, and he was driving an older model white Ford, or possibly a pickup with a topper on it.

He may work in construction, as one victim noted a yellow vest.

Anyone with information on the incidents is urged to call Minneapolis police.

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