New York ( CNN ) -- One of the motorcyclists believed to have played a direct role in the beating of SUV driver Alexian Lien in New York has been identified , a law enforcement official with knowledge of the investigation told CNN late Thursday . He 's not yet in custody ; however he 's expected to be soon . The biker is suspected of being the man seen on video using a helmet to pound on the side of the black Range Rover before Lien was dragged from the vehicle , beaten and slashed , the official said . The video seems clear : An SUV driver hits a biker on Manhattan 's West Side and sets off a violent chain of events . But now , a debate is raging over who should shoulder the blame for this disturbing attack . Soon after the helmet cam video of the confrontation spread online , most people 's sympathies lay with the driver of the Range Rover , Lien . Online commenters seemed to side with him . He was swarmed by a motorbike gang . He had his wife and 2-year-old daughter in the car . He did what he had to do to protect them , they said . But now , supporters of the bikers being vilified for the weekend attack are pleading their case . They gathered Wednesday night outside the Manhattan hospital where one of the bikers , Edwin Mieses , lies comatose . He was run over by the SUV as the driver tried to escape . `` It is an unfortunate situation on both sides , '' said Lexie Filpo , who said she was one of the bikers . `` I knew that car seemed reckless from the beginning . From when he first jumped on the highway . When things happened , people were telling him to stop , to slow down , and he never did . `` The officers , they want to arrest the bikers ; they should arrest the driver as well , '' Filpo said . A group of bikers gathered again Thursday and appealed for calm . `` We , as bikers , have the burden of showing the world that we are not animals and so that 's what we intend to do , '' Albert Alkerson told reporters . `` These are not animals . These are people who enjoy riding bikes . What we need to do is figure out how to make sure that this does n't happen again , '' he said . Official : Biker may have been trying to help SUV driver . Swarmed by bikers . The incident took place on Manhattan 's West Side Highway on Sunday . Police said a man driving a Range Rover struck a motorcyclist who had slowed . Previous reporting indicated that the impact broke the motorcyclist 's leg , but New York police Sgt . Lee Jones said Wednesday that the biker sustained only minor injuries . Lien , the driver , pulled over and was surrounded by other bikers , part of a group called Hollywood Stuntz . They hit the vehicle and spiked its tires , police said . The driver pulled away , plowing into three more bikers , including Mieses . The bikers chased him . Once he was stuck in traffic , they cornered the SUV . The video shows one biker using his helmet to smash the driver's-side window . Police said the bikers dragged Lien out of the SUV and beat him . His wife and daughter were unharmed . Lien was treated at a local hospital for slashes to his face . Lien 's family released a statement Thursday through its attorneys , saying he was `` forced under the circumstances to take the actions that he did in order to protect the lives of our entire family . '' He and his wife were out to celebrate their wedding anniversary with their daughter when the incident happened , according to the statement . `` We know in our hearts that we could not have done anything differently , and we believe that anyone faced with this sort of grave danger would have taken the same course of action in order to protect their family , '' the statement said . Lien initially called 911 on Sunday afternoon to report that bikers were driving erratically on the West Side Highway . As the confrontation unfolded , additional calls were logged by 911 operators , including one from Lien 's wife that was placed during the attack , police said . Jerome Davis said he witnessed a part of the confrontation and described the SUV driver as a `` maniac . '' `` If something happens , you stop right there . It 's an accident . You think and stop . You do n't keep reacting on , '' he told CNN 's Erin Burnett on Wednesday . But on CNN 's `` New Day '' Thursday , Davis said , `` Two wrongs do n't make a right '' and said it was clear the SUV driver was afraid . `` If I was in his shoes , I 'd be scared , '' he said . Opinion : In attack , can bikers get a fair shake ? No charges against driver . Police have not said that they are seeking any charges against Lien . But they arrested Christopher Cruz , who is seen slowing in front of the Range Rover before he was bumped . Cruz , 28 , was in court Wednesday on misdemeanor charges including reckless driving . Cruz 's attorney told reporters that his client is not guilty . Cruz was to be released after posting $ 1,500 cash bail and a $ 15,000 insurance bond . In addition , his license was suspended , and he was ordered to surrender his passport . `` His motorcycle was struck , and he stood right there , '' Cruz 's attorney H. Benjamin Perez said . `` He never assaulted this man . He never tried to assault him in any way . And he does not know any of the other motorcyclists who were involved in this beating . '' A second arrested biker was released Wednesday when authorities determined that he may have been trying to help . Allen Edwards , 42 , originally faced charges of reckless endangerment , criminal mischief and menacing , police said . But that did n't mean prosecutors were done . `` Prematurely charging individuals with low-level crimes does not further the goals of the investigation and could weaken the cases we expect to bring against the perpetrators of serious crimes , '' said Karen Friedman-Agnifilo , the prosecutor who is overseeing the case . `` After we investigate the facts and each person 's individual actions , we will know what charges can be supported by the evidence . There is still a tremendous amount of investigation to be done . '' The New York Police Department released images and asked for the public 's help in identifying and locating suspects . NYPD detectives have interviewed the motorcyclist whose helmet cam captured the confrontation , according to Deputy Commissioner John McCarthy . They tracked the unidentified biker to his home in Bellport , Long Island , and have the video . Police are also looking at a 2011 video that shows a separate case of biker violence . In it , riders appear to surround and antagonize a motorist . Law enforcement officials said they are examining the footage frame by frame , looking for possible patterns . Standing vigil . Mieses ' family says the real victim of the confrontation is the hospitalized biker . `` All of his ribs are fractured . His lungs are so badly bruised that he 's still on a ventilator , '' Yolanda Santiago , his mother , told CNN affiliate WCBS . His wife , Dayana , told CNN affiliate WBZ that Mieses got off his bike to help the SUV driver . `` And whatever he did , he got scared , he peeled off , and he paralyzed my husband on the way , '' she said . At the vigil Wednesday night , the attendees raised almost $ 400 . CNN 's Lateef Mungin , Pamela Brown , Susan Candiotti , Kevin Conlon and Marina Carver contributed to this report .
NEW : The motorcyclist is not in custody ; he 's expected to be soon , source says . The family of the SUV driver says he did what he had to do to protect his family . Bikers chased the SUV , slashed its tires , forcing the driver to stop , police say . Another motorcyclist has been arrested on misdemeanor charges .