Victim shaken after he and his son narrowly escaped being run down by car while on their bicycles

OAKLAND, Calif. - Oakland police are investigating a hit-and-run that happened when a driver rolled through a group of cyclists taking part in a bike party. This happened Friday night along Alcatraz Avenue near Shattuck Avenue. Officers say they identified two victims at the scene.

Ben Eichenberg is one of the cyclists who filed a police report. He is seen in cell phone video, jumping off his bike just moments before a driver hits the bike and sends it flying.

"I’m really shaken by it," he said.

Ben said there were lots of families with kids taking part in this event. He was riding with his 13-year-old son, Leo with hundreds of other for the monthly "East Bay Bike Party" event.

"Just all of a sudden there was a car coming down the right lane really, really fast and you just had to get out of the way," said Leo.

Ben said he saw the driver hit a bike in front of him, which sent that cyclist tumbling into the road. The driver did not stop, and made his way toward others in the group.

"I just remember thinking oh God, this guy is going to plow into the crowd," said Ben. "And I just wanted to slow him down, so I got off my bike. I was just trying to be in front of him to say stop, stop, stop! And he just accelerated into me and I jumped out of the way just in time."

Police initially said nobody filed a report, but later confirmed they are investigating this as a hit-and-run with two victims.

SEE ALSO: Car plows through Oakland bike party, police investigating hit-and-run

Leo said the car was only inches away from him and his friends. "I probably could have reached out and touched it. It was very close. And it was scary, it happened really fast," he said.

The East Bay Bike Party is a monthly event where people ride together to celebrate their love of bikes. There’s music, bright lights, and sometimes the crowds get big. In this case, video shows the cyclists taking up the whole road. Ben said the streets belong to everybody. "It’s horrifying to see someone use their car as a weapon just because they’ve been inconvenienced by ten minutes or however long it takes to pass. The roads are a public resources and everyone has a right to use them," said Ben.

Ben said his bike was damaged. Witnesses provided the license plate number to police. Police have not confirmed or released that information. Anyone with additional information should give OPD a call.