Video helps ID young men who hit bicyclist with bottle

Staff report

LORDSTOWN

Two young men riding through Lordstown in a 1971 Chevrolet Chevelle made a “stupid” decision July 5 to hit a bike rider with a water bottle, and now they are charged with misdemeanor assault.

With the help of a truck driver whose dash camera captured the incident, police were able to locate and charge Justin J. Testerman, 18, of Beaver Avenue in Niles, and Damian L. Brumfield, 21, of South Leavitt Road in Warren, with the offense.

When confronted with the evidence Thursday, including the video, Brumfield admitted he and Testerman were responsible for the bottle-throwing and said the only reason they did it was they were “being stupid,” a police report states.

Lordstown Police Chief Brent Milhoan said police are grateful to the truck driver, who was behind the bicycle and the Chevelle and stopped to check on the bicyclist. He later provided the video to the bicyclist, 51, of Lords-town.

The man, an avid bicyclist, was hit in the head near the Metalco plant. He was “shook up” but did not crash and did not seek medical attention. Afterward, police reported on it on the department’s Facebook page, and Milhoan was surprised at how many other people commented that they also had been victimized while riding their bicycles.

Milhoan said the message he hopes people will get from the incident is that today’s technology provides a lot more tools to help police arrest those who commit such crimes.

Brumfield, who was driving, and Testerman, who threw the bottle, were both arrested Thursday and taken to the Trumbull County jail. They were released on a summons to appear for arraignment Monday morning in Newton Falls Municipal Court.

Milhoan said both men were charged because Brumfield handed the water bottle to Testerman, moved from the inside lane to the curb lane and told Testerman to hit the bicyclist with it.