A woman accused of hitting and killing a Sandy Springs bicyclist Wednesday morning while driving under the influence of alcohol was denied bond during her first court appearance Thursday.
Antoinette Battle, 34, faces charges of driving under the influence, reckless driving and first-degree homicide by vehicle, Fulton County court records show. She was arrested after striking and killing Marten Bijvank, a 29-year-old cyclist who was riding his bike to work, Sandy Springs police said.
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Bijvank recently graduated from Arizona State University with two degrees, his wife, Valentina Fiorillo, told Channel 2 Action News. Starbucks, his employer, paid for his tuition, she said.
He was riding south on Roswell Road sometime before 5 a.m. when he was struck by a Chrysler sedan driven by Battle, said Sgt. Sam Worsham, spokesman for Sandy Springs police.
The vehicle came to a stop about 100 yards up the road and Battle was taken into custody shortly after officers arrived to the scene. The impact of the collision broke Bijvank’s bike in half and shattered Battle’s windshield.
Credit: JOHN SPINK / JSPINK@AJC.COM
Credit: JOHN SPINK / JSPINK@AJC.COM
“It's my life. It's my everything, gone because somebody made a wrong decision one day,” Fiorollo told Channel 2. “We lived a very simple life with our two cats in our small apartment together, but we were really happy.”
Roswell Road was shut down in both directions at Trowbridge Road for nearly four hours as authorities investigated the deadly crash.
The coffee shop Bijvank worked at closed for the day to allow his coworkers time to grieve. He was a popular barista, according to the news station.
Battle’s next court appearance is scheduled for Aug. 1 at 9:30 a.m.
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