Legendary skateboarder Jake Phelps suffered a serious head injury Tuesday night when hundreds of skaters took over Dolores Hill in San Francisco.
From his hospital bed at Zuckerberg San Francisco General on Thursday, Phelps told NBC Bay Area his side of the controversy surrounding the event and the police response.
Phelps, who is visibly scraped up and has a sizeable gash on his head, talked in detail about his wipeout and already was discussing the next Dolores Hill event.
"I did it. I did it fast the second time. I hit a reflector, pitched my wheel sideways, I just flew," the editor of Thrasher magazine said. "I whacked my head pretty good. I don't know what a concussion feels like. I don't feel like I can't figure out what I'm doing."
The 54-year-old says it's a ride he often takes alone at 6 a.m.
Hundreds of skaters took over the street Tuesday. Police moved in to shut down the unpermitted event after Phelps and others were hurt, an effort that led to an intense confrontation between the groups, including a fast-moving skater and a police officer making contact.
Phelps has seen the video of the skater airborne.
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"It's stupid to block the street off, and the guy couldn't get out of the way, just high sided over the car," Phelps said.
On social media, skaters are naming a police officer they believe should be punished, or worse.
The San Francisco Police Department says it's not the officer involved, and based on threatening messages, the actual officer's name won't be released. The incident is under investigation, police said.
Phelps says he believes skaters and police will always be at odds, but he added that it might be time to make the event legitimate.
"If they got a permit, that'd be cool," he said. "People loved seeing it."
The police department isn't the only agency investigating the incident. The department of police accountability says it has received a complaint about the incident and is opening an investigation.
