In an unusual case of alleged road rage, a driver said he was attacked by a cyclist in Southeast Portland last weekend.

And in an added twist, the driver of the car was also a well-known cycling advocate in the community.

Colin Yates, 47, used to work for Bike Gallery and he was driving with his wife and kids in the family car when the incident happened last Sunday.

Yates described the scene in a phone interview with KGW Thursday. He said he saw a bicyclist run a red light on Belmont Street and then pulled up next to him and told him he was making other bikers look bad. Then, Yates said the cyclist got off his bike and started smashing it against his car hood and windshield.

KGW file photo

Colin Yates

Moments later, Yates said he got out of his car and the cyclist, later identified by police as Steven McAtee, hit him with the bike. Yates suffered some cuts and bruises and has a mark on his arm from the bike chain, but he was not seriously injured.

“In about 30 seconds, it turned into a very chaotic and violent situation,” Yates told KGW in a phone interview. “I would say that as a cyclist, people really should bear in mind that there is recourse for your actions. And as a motorist, I would say that being aware of cyclists on the road is also very important.”

Yates said passers-by soon got involved and one of them reportedly knocked the cyclist to the ground while someone else called 9-1-1.

KGW graphic

Andy Suing lives across the street from where the incident happened. He told KGW loud noises woke him up and he went outside to see what was going on.

“When I walked out there was a guy on the ground and another guy over the top of him, yelling at him,” Suing said. "It's not something I want going on on our street by any means."

Police arrived to find an angry crowd of about 25 people surrounding Yates's Subaru.

Read Bike Portland blog on 'us-them mentality'

McAtee was eventually arrested and charged with drunk driving and assault. He works for the City of Portland Transportation Department and his employer told KGW he was not at work Thursday. Reporter Erica Heartquist also visited McAtee's home for comment, but no one responded to the door bell.

With gas prices increasing, more cyclists are taking to the roads and many say the bicycle culture is changing in Portland. Bike rider Jed Mitchell told KGW he thinks Portland cyclists and drivers need to find a better way to roll with these changes together.

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"I guess I wish there was a little more understanding between cars and cyclists in terms of the use of the road. I think there are situations where I've been on a bike and I've probably blown through a light or a stop sign and I shouldn't have and there are also situations where I've seen cars not recognize that cyclists have a right to be on the road as well.”

As for the alleged road rage incident, the city said it planned to conduct its own internal investigation.

Meantime, Yates moved to Colorado on Monday but said he's more than happy to come back to Portland for a trial, if necessary.