Go Back  Bike Forums > Bike Forums > Advocacy & Safety
Reload this Page >

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

Notices
Advocacy & Safety Cyclists should expect and demand safe accommodation on every public road, just as do all other users. Discuss your bicycle advocacy and safety concerns here.

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

Old 07-26-19, 07:36 PM
  #1  
Chris0516
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Nov 2015
Location: Washington Grove, Maryland
Posts: 1,466

Bikes: 2003 (24)20-Speed Specialized Allez'

Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 396 Post(s)
Liked 6 Times in 6 Posts
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 8˝ 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.


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.

Last edited by Chris0516; 07-27-19 at 05:44 PM. Reason: Misspelling
Chris0516 is offline  
Old 07-27-19, 08:02 AM
  #2  
JohnX
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2009
Posts: 89
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 27 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time in 1 Post
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.

Last edited by JohnX; 07-27-19 at 08:05 AM.
JohnX is offline  
Likes For JohnX:
Old 07-27-19, 11:18 AM
  #3  
mcours2006
Senior Member
 
mcours2006's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Toronto, CANADA
Posts: 6,198

Bikes: ...a few.

Mentioned: 47 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2009 Post(s)
Liked 405 Times in 231 Posts
We are literally driving down the road to ruins.
mcours2006 is offline  
Likes For mcours2006:
Old 07-27-19, 05:50 PM
  #4  
Chris0516
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Nov 2015
Location: Washington Grove, Maryland
Posts: 1,466

Bikes: 2003 (24)20-Speed Specialized Allez'

Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 396 Post(s)
Liked 6 Times in 6 Posts
Originally Posted by JohnX
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.
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.
Chris0516 is offline  
Old 07-27-19, 06:08 PM
  #5  
Rage
Space Ghost
 
Rage's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2017
Location: NYC
Posts: 1,762

Bikes: Bridgestone, Fuji, Iro, Jamis, Gary Fisher, GT, Scott, Specialized and more

Mentioned: 3 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 292 Post(s)
Liked 411 Times in 317 Posts
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.

Last edited by Rage; 07-27-19 at 07:57 PM.
Rage is offline  
Old 07-27-19, 11:15 PM
  #6  
livedarklions
Tragically Ignorant
 
livedarklions's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2018
Location: New England
Posts: 15,613

Bikes: Serotta Atlanta; 1994 Specialized Allez Pro; Giant OCR A1; SOMA Double Cross Disc; 2022 Allez Elite mit der SRAM

Mentioned: 62 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 8186 Post(s)
Liked 9,094 Times in 5,053 Posts
Originally Posted by Rage
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?
livedarklions is offline  
Old 07-27-19, 11:38 PM
  #7  
Rage
Space Ghost
 
Rage's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2017
Location: NYC
Posts: 1,762

Bikes: Bridgestone, Fuji, Iro, Jamis, Gary Fisher, GT, Scott, Specialized and more

Mentioned: 3 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 292 Post(s)
Liked 411 Times in 317 Posts
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.
Rage is offline  
Old 07-28-19, 02:40 PM
  #8  
livedarklions
Tragically Ignorant
 
livedarklions's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2018
Location: New England
Posts: 15,613

Bikes: Serotta Atlanta; 1994 Specialized Allez Pro; Giant OCR A1; SOMA Double Cross Disc; 2022 Allez Elite mit der SRAM

Mentioned: 62 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 8186 Post(s)
Liked 9,094 Times in 5,053 Posts
Originally Posted by Rage
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.
livedarklions is offline  
Old 07-28-19, 03:07 PM
  #9  
Rage
Space Ghost
 
Rage's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2017
Location: NYC
Posts: 1,762

Bikes: Bridgestone, Fuji, Iro, Jamis, Gary Fisher, GT, Scott, Specialized and more

Mentioned: 3 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 292 Post(s)
Liked 411 Times in 317 Posts
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.
Rage is offline  
Old 07-29-19, 01:09 PM
  #10  
livedarklions
Tragically Ignorant
 
livedarklions's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2018
Location: New England
Posts: 15,613

Bikes: Serotta Atlanta; 1994 Specialized Allez Pro; Giant OCR A1; SOMA Double Cross Disc; 2022 Allez Elite mit der SRAM

Mentioned: 62 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 8186 Post(s)
Liked 9,094 Times in 5,053 Posts
Originally Posted by Rage
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.
livedarklions is offline  
Old 07-29-19, 02:06 PM
  #11  
Rage
Space Ghost
 
Rage's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2017
Location: NYC
Posts: 1,762

Bikes: Bridgestone, Fuji, Iro, Jamis, Gary Fisher, GT, Scott, Specialized and more

Mentioned: 3 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 292 Post(s)
Liked 411 Times in 317 Posts
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...
Rage is offline  
Old 07-29-19, 06:12 PM
  #12  
Daniel4
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Toronto
Posts: 3,497

Bikes: Sekine 1979 ten speed racer

Mentioned: 15 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1477 Post(s)
Liked 637 Times in 436 Posts
It appears the only time a motorist gets a tough sentence is when his victims are inside motor vehicles.
Daniel4 is offline  
Related Topics
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
Vintage_Cyclist
Advocacy & Safety
12
07-16-15 01:18 PM
dmac49
Advocacy & Safety
21
05-07-15 10:41 AM
The Weak Link
Fifty Plus (50+)
36
10-04-10 11:06 PM
hairnet
Advocacy & Safety
19
06-06-10 11:21 AM

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off


Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.