During yesterday's evening commute, a driver pulling out of a parking space on Valencia Street ended up getting hauled into SFPD's Mission Station and booked on one count of assault after allegedly hitting a cyclist with his four door sedan.

The incident occurred around 5:30 p.m. Tuesday evening when SFist tipster Andrew O. was biking southbound behind another cyclist in the bike lane on Valencia Street between 17th and 18th Streets. (That bike lane, we should point out, has a history of bad behavior.) The 56-year-old male driver pulled out of a parking spot and made a U-turn on Valencia, cutting off the lead biker in the process. SFPD spokesman Officer Gordon Shyy tells SFist that our tipster, who was also their witness, had a verbal altercation with the driver ("watch out, asshole!" according to Andrew) and the driver circled back around, making a second U-turn in the middle of Valencia Street.

Fearing the driver was coming after him, Andrew promptly evacuated the street and headed for the sidewalk with his bike, but was hit by the driver and bumped up onto the curb. The driver left the scene but other cyclists followed until police could pull him over. He was identified by witnesses on the busy corridor and booked at Mission Station on one count of assault with a deadly weapon.

Our victim/witness Andrew, on the other hand, says he only suffered a cracked bike light during the incident.