D.C. man faces 8 1/2 years in prison after pleading guilty in April death of bicyclis
 

This was in the Washington Post two days ago.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local...=.bcc8b3b10466

Here is what the article said. In case the link doesn't work:

"A District man faces more than eight years in prison after pleading guilty to voluntary manslaughter after he struck and killed a bicyclist in April in the stolen van he was driving as he was fleeing police.

Robert Earl Little Jr., 25, of Northwest Washington was arrested and originally charged with second-degree murder and unauthorized use of a motor vehicle in the April 19 death of 54-year-old David Salovesh of Northeast Washington.

In D.C. Superior Court on Tuesday, Little, with his public defender, pleaded guilty in Salovesh’s death. As part of the plea, prosecutors agreed to a sentence of 8½ years in prison. If the case had gone to trial and Little had been found guilty, he could have faced a maximum of 30 years.

Some had questioned whether D.C. police officers, after switching on their emergency lights while behind the van, were chasing Little through crowded District streets when the van struck Salovesh.

Court documents say the officers “discontinued” efforts to stop the vehicle after it became apparent the van was not going to stop. Police officials later said officers used a car-mounted license plate reader — a device that scans plate numbers to check a vehicle’s status — and received an alert about the white Dodge Grand Caravan at Benning Road and Florida Avenue NE just after 10 a.m. that day.

According to court documents, Salovesh was resting on his bike, waiting at a traffic signal when he was struck. After the impact, the van, now with Salovesh attached to the vehicle, crashed into a nearby tree, pinning Salovesh against the tree, according to charging documents.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/resiz...FKHYBDE47M.jpg
Flowers are placed near 12th Street and Florida Avenue NE on April 21, the site where D.C. cyclist David Salovesh, 54, was struck and killed by a stolen minivan whose driver was fleeing police at high speed in the District. (Katherine Frey/The Washington Post)Little is scheduled to be sentenced Sept. 27 by Judge Craig Iscoe.

I hope Mr. Salovesh didn't suffer. I pray for a more liveable world some day; one in which 3000 lb vehicles aren't careening here and there destroying humans in their path. When just being stopped at a stoplight results in a death sentence.

I wonder how many people have to be killed by automobiles before there is anything really substantively done to stop the carnage. I guess it just doesn't matter. Maybe it has never mattered and never will.

We are literally driving down the road to ruins.

Agreed.

The corner of 12th Ave. & Florida Ave. in North East DC. Is not one of the better places in DC. To be biking.

Rest In Peace Mr. Salovesh.

I don’t understand why the driver of the stolen vehicle was not also charged with the death of Mr. Salovesh. Mr. Salovesh’s death occurred as a direct result of the driver’s criminal acts. Said driver was in possession of and operating a stolen van while evading police pursuit.

He pleaded to voluntary manslaughter after being charged with murder. What's your question?

The question is, why would such a thing be allowed to happen? This man killed someone fleeing the police, possibly, while in the commission of a crime. I’m of the opinion he should never have been allowed to take a plea deal. Certainly not for eight years.

That's a good question. Hard to imagine much of a defense to a felony and/or reckless murder when he's fleeing in a stolen car. Both of those are 2nd degree murder in Washington DC.

I wonder if the incredibly light plea deal was a sop to deflect any embarrassment from attaching to the PD. Like they wanted to avoid the suggestion the police might possibly have contributed to Mr. Salovesh’s death in any way. As in, if they weren’t pursuing the driver, he would never have hit Mr. Salovesh.

That wouldn't have been a good criminal defense (I had to flee?), but I suppose it's possible that the PD would have been worried about civil liability if Mr. Salovesh's family should choose to sue.

This is pure speculation, however, and seems pretty unlikely.

Yeah, it seems pretty thin. But it was all I got.
Just having a hard time with it. Not even because Mr. Salovesh was a cyclist. That could have been anyone standing there until the driver of that stolen van came along. And then he skates with eight years...

It appears the only time a motorist gets a tough sentence is when his victims are inside motor vehicles.