Zephyr Boy

We're all bicyclists, be safe...keep your eyes open.

BroadwayJoe

Crying like a little girl and citing the Bible - is 5 years all he can get? 'hope he enjoys prison shower stalls...

moleman76

Prosecutors asked for 8 or more.
https://velonews.competitor.com/2010/...e-years_102274

DX-MAN

Awwww, poor misunderstood doctor; he was in tears the whole time the riders described their ordeal, and has been exhibiting PTSD symptoms ever since the incident.

Middle-aged, cranky, car-centric, egotistical bully -- he got off easy, and found out he's not so superior, after all.

Wonder if it'll be the coronary artery disease, the prison food, or licking Bubba's boots -- literally -- that'll 'shorten' his sentence, or will he see freedom again? After all, his lawyer says he's deathly sick.

I don't normally wish ill on anyone, but in this case, it's hard not to. Somebody once told me that the judicial system of this country was set up so that convicted criminals were sent to prison AS punishment, not FOR punishment -- in other words, the time spent locked up was the punishment, not any dastardly event that happened while there. Somehow, for this guy, that just doesn't get it for me.

AdamDZ

I'm for driver's license revocation for life. People like this should NOT be allowed to drive, ever.

Adam

Eticket

Hell a third of the drivers in California don't have licenses anyway......

Mr Danw

If I were the guy who went through the back window of his car, I'd mail him a picture of my scarred face. Once a day, every day. After his release I'd track his address and continue the program. One Polaroid pic and one stamp a day is cheap.

Tom Stormcrowe

He's not done yet.......the 5 years is just the start.

dynodonn 

That's no guarantee that they won't stop driving, a local motorist killed 4 persons while driving intoxicated on a suspended license from a prior DUI. What irked me was that he only received a 6 year sentence with possible time off for good behavior.

Off topic, I have become disenchanted with our judicial system as of late, we just had a man kill his wife over a year ago, with a large pry bar, bury her, disguised his voice on the phone to collect her insurance, has now been able to plea bargain his way to a max 12 year sentence.

Worldcyclotour

That is the case. His conviction of using an automobile as a weapon does just that. He'll be walking, cycling or riding transit for the rest of his life.

AdamDZ

Oh yeah. Missed that! Awesome! I hope he loses his medical license as well. That'll probably hurt him more than jail time. That would teach him a lesson

The system is joke. Don't even get me started.

A.

David13

I think his only 'remorse' was that he got caught, and called into court on it. I think he has not stated, but still holds his pride about "teaching them a lesson".
But that he didn't learn any lesson himself.
But what can be done? Like some have pointed out, these jail sentences are never very severe.
dc

Digital_Cowboy

Except that that would be considered and viewed as harassment. And could result in charges being filed against him.

Digital_Cowboy

Can you see him riding an "inherently unstable" vehicle like a bike?

Wogster

Unlike most, I don't think he should lose his medical licence, he should be required to treat inmates in the jail for free for the time he is in there, would save the state a huge chunk of money on medical treatment. Might even be worth his keep. Upon release, he should be required to move to some small village in Alaska that doesn't have a doctor, where you can easily walk across town, and cars typically are not used.

The problem with the system is that it focuses on punishment, rather then resolution, they ask the questions how and who, but not why. Why does a successful doctor and business man decide to attempt to injure or even kill a group of strangers, with a car? We sitting here at our computers can't answer that question, maybe the doctor can, but it may take weeks or months with a shrink to unlock that answer. Once you have that answer, you can begin a treatment process, so that when he gets out of prison, such an event is unlikely to reoccur.

RazrSkutr

Not exactly an awesome result. The LA Times quotes the judge as calling for cyclists and motorists to "respect each other" (!)and calls for "more lanes". Apparently the judge (Scott Millington) missed the part where the evidence showed that the cyclists were traveling at the speed-limit or just above downhill.

RazrSkutr

I think your analysis and suggested "sentence" are the only sane thing I've heard about this case. Either that or else a Hammurabic response involving the victims.

phoebeisis

I will never really understand why he told the cop"I did it to teach them a lesson". I get anger and revenge, I don't get his being so crazed that he couldn't come up with something plausible for the cop??
His own words convicted him-and he had several minutes to think about something more reasonable than "I PUT HIM THROUGH THE WINDOW BECAUSE I WAS PISSED OFF"
Why would a violent criminal tell the truth??
Even "I meant to stop to talk to them, but misjudged how hard I braked" would have gotten him mostly off the hook.
Could he have really thought that it was so minor that it didn't matter if he told the truth? Or, my guess, he was kinda stunned/crazed and just couldn't come up with anything better than the truth. He probably figured that it would be no big deal-bikes would be slightly trashed, few scrapes, no big deal, and he would get some satisfaction out of screwing with them-"teaching them a lesson".

It will remain a mystery to me.
The take home lesson for sociopaths-don't talk to the cops.

Bikenator

To me, the sentence isn't that important as far as the doctor himself is concerned. Once a person with no previous incarceration begins losing years of his life, it's a pretty big lesson whether it's 2 or 8. Is he really going to learn more from an 8 year sentence than 5 or from 2? His life is ruined and he will likely be humbled and hopefully learn something.

Rather, it's all the other idiots out there that I hope will take notice of this sentence. Reading some of the comments in the news stories, it's really scary how many people sympathize with this idiot. Way more scary and appalling than the doctor himself is his apparent level of support with other drivers. Sure, a lot of them are all bluster, but to even say half-seriously that a cyclist "deserves" such injuries for inconveniencing a driver just further lowers my already bleak view of "humanity."

So kudos to the judge, who has put all the other idiots out there on notice. Such conduct will not be tolerated, at least not in Los Angeles. I hope they all drive in fear of hitting a cyclist.

Regardless, I'll continue riding in the river trails, thank you.

Bikenator

Agreed, it's inexplicable. But when you also considered he had almost a year to contemplate the mountain of evidence against him, and he still went to trial instead of taking a plea, it has to go beyond anger or being stunned. Surely his lawyer advised him what he was facing if he lost at trial, yet he still rejected a plea. I think he is surely a sociopath as you suggest. Many of them are able to make it their whole lives without being incarcerated, since they tend towards high intelligence.

Bikenator

Anyone who would say this has likely never been in jail, let alone state prison.

AdamDZ

Correct, I've never been indeed And I don't plan it!

Adam

jfmckenna

I found this puzzling as well. The only thing I can thing of is that in his own mind he had convinced hisself that this is what he should do and in time probably thought that this would be accepted by most people because after all cyclists are soooo annoying. So when it came time to talk to the cop it's almost like he thought the cop would chuckle and pat him on the back or something.

phoebeisis

Maybe he thought it would be acceptable, but I just can't believe a clever SOB would be that tone deaf. My guess is that he was planning to get them to slam on the brakes, skid, fall screw up the bikes, skinned elbows etc, and he would drive off with his car intact-laughing/flipping them off etc.

When his plan went south , he was so stunned. he told the truth because he just wasn't accustomed to "getting caught" and the truth just came out. He certainly has no problem lying, but he did have a problem making up a lie while pissing in his pants because he got caught, and didn't intend for any actionable injuries to happen.

He didn't think they would be injured, so he didn't have a plausible lie prepared.He is an inexperienced criminal.

He is also obviously a AH- , I don't think anyone even showed up at the trial- no kids, no wife, no ex wife, no girlfriend, co workers. No one went to the papers/media and said "he really is a nice person".Usually in high profile crimes there is someone going on record saying something positive about the defendant-not this time, not this guy.

I feel a tiny, tiny bit sorry for him.

Snowman219

+1

Time in a box doesn't make you better. He could easily do this again. Not looking at the real problem is why we have a them vs us mentality and no real solutions.