BOSTON (WHDH) - An elderly man who was brutally beaten by a group of ATV and dirt bike riders in November 2021 is speaking out about the horrific attack.
Police say Richard Bell was driving in the Fenway area on Nov. 18 when a group of 30 to 40 people on dirt bikes and ATVs forced him off the road, smashed his car windows, and attacked him.
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Bell, who turned 83 on Tuesday, recounted the frightening moments leading up to and during the attack and told 7NEWS he did nothing to instigate their anger.
“When the fist came through the window, I thought it was my last breath because I had had a heart valve put in a month before that,” he said.
The retired trucker from Brookline said he was followed and harassed for more than two miles onto Storrow Drive. He was weaving through traffic terrified.
“The danger is that motorcycles are running crazy,” he said. “It’s more frustrating to the drivers who are liable to hit them and they are the ones who are going to get in trouble.”
Bell was able to drive away with the intention of going to a police station to get help but several of the riders allegedly followed him and continued to kick and hit his vehicle. He attempted to take the Cambridge Street off-ramp in Allston but got stuck in traffic at the top of the ramp, police said.
Other riders continued to kick the man’s car and one of the suspects threw a piece of pipe through the car’s rear window, while another threw a large rock through another window. One man hit Bell in the face with his bare hands.
“All I know is he had a big fist and every time that fist hit…,” Bell trailed off getting emotional.
He was finally able to get away and got to safety at a Safeway gas station. He suffered no broken bones but did have major bruising to his face, arms, and ribs. He spent six weeks recovering in the hospital and in a rehabilitation facility.
Now, Bell said he is feeling much better. He is thankful to the police officers, doctors, physical therapists, and an auto shop owner who gave him a station wagon to replace his totaled car.
He said he still suffers from some PTSD from that night but his eight kids and more than a dozen grandchildren are helping him through it.
“I can’t believe that they would actually beat a senior as bad as they did,” Bell said.
State police say no arrests have been made and that an investigation remains ongoing.
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