New Haven Powersports Downplays Bloody Incident

(Courtesy: Paul Bass/”New Haven Independent”)

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com

The picture whizzing around Facebook this morning shows a man covered with blood, groggily sitting in the middle of a city street as concerned onlookers attempt to assist him. The injured man is white. Those coming to his aid are black. The uninformed yet accusatory explanations that accompany the picture on at least two Facebook posts begin innocently by saying the injured man’s “the owner of a New Haven, Connecticut motorsports shop.”

But then, depending on which Facebook version you read, the posts go on to say that the rider was either the victim of “a mob of justice for Travon (Martin) thugs” who “beat him to a pulp” on a New Haven street or the victim of “a mob of Trayvon crazed thugs…”

And both versions accuse the media of bias for not being outraged by the alleged actions of “racist thugs” and of covering up the attack.

The bloody incident did happen last Friday (July 19) near the Whalley Avenue showroom of New Haven Powersports. Brooks MacQuarrie, who is a service tech and NOT the owner at the dealership, took a just-repaired scooter out for a test ride and ended up in the hospital.

A comprehensive story was posted Monday and updated Wednesday by Paul Bass in the “New Haven Independent.” It investigates what it says is the “mystery” of how MacQuarrie, who is the son the dealership’s owner David “Chief” MacQuarrie, ended up with injuries that included a head wound that required 39 stitches, a broken cheek bone, broken ribs and broken nose.

While the story presents a couple of scenarios, New Haven Powersports general manager Chris Green told RIDE-CT.com today that the dealership believes what happened was that MacQuarrie was the victim of a premeditated attack by “five or six young guys. He was out test riding a scooter and a group of young guys jumped him and beat him severely. It was a well-executed and well-planned one.”

The attackers then stole the scooter, which the “New Haven Independent” reports was later recovered by New Haven police. Green said the dealership believes the “unfortunate incident” was theft motivated and not racially motivated. “There are a lot of bright spots in it. The people in the community came to his rescue,” Green said, referring to those who helped MacQuarrie.

MacQuarrie is out of the hospital. “He’s a sore puppy. He’s just resting up,” said Green, who also said the incident has received attention by the main-stream media, including on television. For example, here’s another story in the “New Haven Register.”

As is often the case, what’s galling about the Facebook posts are the accusations and assumptions.