Thompson, a 60 year old former emergency room physician testified that he and other Mandeville Canyon residents were upset that cyclists rode dangerously and disrespected residents and motorists along the street, a popular route for bike riders.
On the day of the crash, Thompson said he was driving down the road on his way to work when several cyclists swore at him and flipped him off as he called on them to ride single file.
But the cyclists said the doctor was acting aggressively, that he honked from behind them and passed by dangerously close before he pulled in front and braked hard.
A police officer told jurors that shortly after the crash that Thompson said he slammed on his brakes in front of the riders to "teach them a lesson."
One cyclist was flung face-first into the rear window of Thompson's car, breaking his front teeth and nose and cutting his face. The other cyclist slammed into the sidewalk and suffered a separated shoulder.
Prosecutors said Thompson had a history of run-ins with bike riders, including a similar episode four months before the crash when two cyclists told police that the doctor tried to run them off the road and braked suddenly in front of them.
Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Scott T. Millington called the case a "wake-up call" to motorists and cyclists and urged local government to provide riders with more bike lanes. He said he believed that Thompson had shown a lack of remorse during the case and that the victims were particularly vulnerable while riding their bicycles.
Thompson was given 5 years in prison in 2010 for a the 2008 event.
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2010/01/cyclist-sentenced.html
When I lived in Salina Ks the bicycle riders would ride out east on town 3 or 4 across on the county highway and block traffic. It was almost tempting to have a brake failure.
ReplyDeleteMurder is often a temptation... many divorced couples have proven that to be true... and if we knew there were no consequences, and we had a loaded gun, a lot of people would not ever survive the daily drive through LA, NYC, Chicago, etc. Strange how little life matters when someone aggravates us in traffic. Me, I want them to allow paint ball guns to be used to color the assholes in traffic. The more paint splashes on a car, the more everyone else on the road knows to avoid the idiot that pisses off everyone in traffic.
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