An Arlington cyclist accused of fleeing an officer who ordered him to stop on the Minuteman Bikeway and then collided with an off-duty officer says he has had charges dismissed.

John R. Burkhardt, 51, was arraigned in Cambridge District Court a day after the Monday, July 31, incident that began at the Mill Street/bikeway crossing at 6:15 p.m.

Meghan Kelly, a spokeswoman for the Middlesex District Attorney's Office, said Thursday, Aug. 3, that Burkhardt was arraigned on the first two charges, which will be dismissed once court costs are paid. He was not arraigned on the third (endangerment). She could not say why.

Burkhardt emailed the following statement Aug. 3 to explain: "I was involved in an incident with the Arlington Police on Monday during my evening commute. This was an unfortunate series of events that resulted in my arrest.

"I willfully complied with all required procedures following the arrest. The next morning all of the charges were dropped in Cambridge District Court.

"I am a very conscientious and law-abiding citizen both on and off the bicycle. I have the utmost respect for the Arlington Police Department and the work they do to keep us all safe. The Minuteman bike path is a treasure. It is also busy and chaotic, especially at this time of year.

"All users of our roadways (and paths!) must obey the rules of the road. I'm happy that the police enforce these rules for cyclists as well as drivers."

The three charges filed July 31 were a stop-sign violation, failure to submit to an officer and assault-and-battery with a dangerous weapon (a bicycle).

Burkhardt said he does not know why he was not arraigned on the third charge.

Capt. Richard Flynn declined to comment about what occurred at the arraignment.

A police report describes an account of the incident. Read the full report here >>

In summary, police said, Burkhardt did not stop after Officer T. Kelly's order and cycled away. Kelly pursued in a squad car on the bikeway, and Burkhardt reversed course.

Meanwhile, Officer Michael Hogan was on the bikeway training for the Pan-Mass Challenge, saw what had occurred and began following the bicyclist. Later, the fleeing cyclist collided with Hogan's bike.

This news summary was published Thursday, Aug. 3, 2017.