Road Rage Assault Caught in Viral Video

Helmet cam appears to show Lee Schismenos punch biker
By Arden Dier,  Newser Staff
Posted Jul 20, 2015 11:06 AM CDT

Motorcyclist Cody Munoz decided to buy a helmet camera after watching video logs from other riders—a purchase he’s not likely to regret. While out for a ride with his girlfriend in Yuma, Ariz., on July 11, he came up behind a bus and changed lines in front of a silver Honda Accord. The driver of the vehicle, who thought he'd been cut off, began tailing Munoz and honking his horn, Munoz tells the Yuma Sun. What happened next was caught on Munoz's GoPro. With Munoz stopped at a red light, the driver, identified as Lee Schismenos, 51, stepped out of his car and approached the couple. "You got a problem?" Munoz asked. "Yeah, I got a f****** problem," Schismenos responded, before appearing to punch Munoz in the face. Munoz's camera next seemed to catch Schismenos pushing Munoz's girlfriend, then punching Munoz again. As Munoz tried to restrain his alleged attacker, Schismenos appeared to trip over a curb.

Munoz was then able to pin Schismenos on the ground, with help from witnesses, until police arrived. A responding officer said he smelled alcohol on Schismenos, who reportedly admitted consuming four or five shots of whiskey before getting behind the wheel, reports WGN. He was taken to a hospital with a broken ankle. "Once he was on the ground you could sort of see, you know, his eyes raging, you know, really red, dilated for some reason," Munoz’s girlfriend, Luisa Loy, 21, tells ABC News. Schismenos reportedly told police that Munoz shouted an expletive at him, which caused Schismenos to throw a punch; that Loy hit him before he shoved her; and that he fell to the ground only because Munoz punched him. None of his claims are verified by the video footage. Schismenos could face charges including DUI, assault, disorderly conduct, threats, and endangerment, Munoz explains in the video description, adding the case has now been forwarded to the state. (This selfie video could help police catch a burglar.)

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