Prosecutors to seek prison term for biker who stomped on a family’s car windshield and pulled a gun on the driver in Center City

After investigators uncovered text messages showing he tried to cover up his crimes, Cody Heron, the biker who jumped on a woman’s rear windshield before headbutting her and brandishing a gun, agreed to take responsibility for an assault that caught national attention after a video of the Center City attack went viral, authorities said.

Prosecutors were prepared to go to trial on Wednesday for the Oct. 2023 attack in which Heron stomped out the back windshield of Nikki Bullock’s car before pointing a gun at her and headbutting her with his helmet on, Philadelphia Assistant District Attorney Fernanda Sandoval said Thursday morning. But Heron, 27, instead decided to plead guilty Wednesday to two counts of aggravated assault and one count of possession of an instrument of crime, she said at a news conference.

Investigators uncovered text messages on Heron’s phone that showed he tried to repaint the motorcycle he rode and the helmet he wore when he attacked Bullock and damaged her car, prosecutors said. When Heron destroyed the back window, Bullock’s children — who were 2-years-old and 5-years-old at the time — were sitting in the backseat, authorities said.

Prosecutors will pursue a sentence of 3 to 6 years in prison for Heron, Sandoval said. Heron is in custody, being held on a $4 million bail, she said. He is scheduled for sentencing in June, according to court records.

Assistant District Attorney William Fritze said the office’s prosecution of Heron was a message to dirt bike riders who often congregate throughout the city in unauthorized “meetups” in which people driving cars, ATVs and dirt bikes gather in city streets and sometimes sidewalks, often weaving in and out of traffic.

“This is a shot over the bow to the dirt bike riders in the city that we are done with dirt bikes,” he said. “We’re going to do everything that we can to prosecute when these cases are brought to us.”

The attack on Oct. 1 shocked people across the country and drew rebukes from city officials when a video of the altercation filmed by a man riding a double-decker bus went viral after it was posted on social media. Heron was one of a crowd of ATV and dirt bike riders who had gathered near City Hall and surrounded Bullock’s Ford Fusion.

The video shows Heron getting off his bike, climbing onto the back of Bullock’s car, and jumping on the rear windshield, shattering it, sending pieces of glass into the car.

When Bullock got out of the car to confront Heron, he pulled a gun on her and headbutted her with his helmet on. After Bullock shoved Heron, knocking his bike over, he got back on his bike and fled, the video shows. Nobody was injured in the assault, authorities said.

Bullock was not at Thursday’s press conference and attempts to reach her were unsuccessful. But Sandoval said she spoke to Bullock, who was delivering for Uber Eats at the time of the attack, and her mother. Bullock is relieved there was a resolution to the shocking assault, she said.

“They’re both incredibly happy that this situation is addressed, that Mr. Cody Heron has decided to take responsibility and plead guilty,” Sandoval said at the press conference, held down the block from where Bullock was assaulted. “They’re happy that they can move past this.”

Heron’s lawyer Justin Capek said Thursday he will pursue a “minimally sufficient” sentence in June. Capek will be asking that Heron be able to participate in the Pennsylvania Department of Correction’s Motivational Boot Camp, a program aimed at reducing recidivism in incarcerated people and providing education and vocational training.

In a statement, Capek said the October attack was Heron at his “absolute worst.”

“He is thankful that no one was physically injured as a result of his conduct, and he remains committed to making amends for actions. He looks forward to apologizing to the victims and presenting further mitigating evidence to the court in advance of his sentencing hearing,” Capek said in the statement.

Capek said the decision to file a guilty plea was “difficult, but tactically sound.”

The video of the assault inspired Philadelphians and others who saw it to rally around Bullock , sending support to fix her car, and a wave of tips to police to help identify Heron. Three days after the attack, Heron was arrested.

Along with public outcry, the video led to questions about what Philadelphia’s police department was doing to prevent dirt bikes and ATVS from swarming parts of the city, and why it appeared nobody intervened in the attack. The video shows a Philadelphia Police car close behind where Heron attacked Bullock, but no officers are shown exiting the car or approaching the altercation.

When asked Thursday about the police car present at the time of the attack, Lt. Kenneth Flaville said he did not have any new information to provide.