Michael Berry: Conservative "Blow The Mosque Up" Radio Host In Gay-Bar Hit-And-Run, Report Says

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29. So this ISN'T an open-and-shut case -- still strong, but not open-and-shut

Last edited Sat May 23, 2015, 12:45 PM - Edit history (13)

...Tuderia Bennett, a bouncer at TC’s, said he was on the front patio that night and saw a black Chevrolet Tahoe traveling south on Converse. When the Tahoe came to the intersection at Hyde Park, the vehicle suddenly went into reverse, driving backward 70 feet before crashing into Bennett’s Volkswagen Passat, which was parallel parked across the street from TC’s, according to the crash report.

...Bennett said that as he examined the damage to his vehicle, the Tahoe circled the block, passing him. When Bennett tried to stop the Tahoe by shining his flashlight, he said he recognized the driver as a customer entering the bar that night and getting out of the same vehicle, whom he was later able to identify as Berry.

...Bennett...got the Tahoe’s license plate number as it went by him. Instead of stopping, the driver kept going and later circled the block a second time...“I thought, OK, maybe he had a change of heart, and he’s going to stop,” Bennett said. However, the driver again left the scene, he said.

That's not exactly what Bennett told KPRC/Click2Houston.com:

...He watched the crash happen and told police he rushed up to the car after impact and got a good look at Berry behind the wheel. Bennett wrote down the license number from the car that he said caused more than $1,500 in damage to his car. Then, when HPD officers traced that license tag to Berry, the victim said he had no doubt it was him.

...HPD officers involved in the investigation said that the Harris County District Attorney's office has declined to file criminal hit and run charges in the case, telling officers that no one can positively identify Berry being behind the wheel for the crime.

And here's what's on the police report (PDF):

...(A) white male in a black Chevrolet Tahoe drove south past my vehicle...and stopped at the stop sign on Hyde Park and Converse. He then put the vehicle in reverse and backed halfway down the street and backed into my car. I ran over to his driver's side window to talk to him and the man just drove off. He then, for some unknown reason, circled the block two more times, and I was able to get his license number...

Unless Bennett saw Berry leave the bar, go to his car, get in, start driving backwards, and crash, there's no direct evidence that he was the driver. There is evidence that places Berry and his car at the club, and Bennett can place Berry in his car. But now I understand why the DA has been keeping his distance.


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