Tiburon police investigate driver accused of wielding knife in road rage incident

A Rohnert Park man is suspected of pulling a knife on a bicyclist in a road rage incident in Tiburon on Monday, police said.

Police responded to the incident at about 3 p.m. at the intersection of Tiburon Boulevard and San Rafael Avenue.

Gennady Yeltchev, 70, who was driving a Toyota Prius, told police that a cyclist hit his car with his hand at Tiburon Boulevard at Trestle Glen, said Laurie Nilsen, a spokesperson for the department.

The cyclist turned into Blackie’s Pasture and pedaled east down the Old Rail Trail. Yeltchev pursued the cyclist and stopped at San Rafael Avenue, where he exited his vehicle, wielding a knife as he approached the cyclist, she said.

The cyclist knocked Yeltchev to the ground and called for help. Witnesses helped the victim restrain Yeltchev until police arrived.

Yeltchev suffered abrasions, and because of his age and medical history, was taken to the MarinHealth Medical Center. He was booked into Marin County Jail on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon and making criminal threats.

Nilsen said there was no evidence that the bicyclist struck the vehicle. The victim was not injured.