Dr. Christopher Thompson is taken away in cuffs Monday. Photo: Los Angeles TimesFollowing
a highly-publicized, intensely-followed trial, Christopher Thompson,
the physician accused of using his car to seriously injure two cyclists
in the Brentwood section of Los Angeles, is behind bars.
Thompson was convicted yesterday of six felony counts: two counts each, according to VeloNews, of assault with a deadly weapon, battery with
serious bodily injury, and reckless driving causing specified
injury and mayhem.
On
July 4, 2008, Thompson passed cyclists Ron Peterson and Christian
Stoehr as the pair rode through the emergency room surgeon's upscale
neighborhood. Angry after a verbal exchange with the men, Thompson slammed on the brakes
of his red Infiniti as Peterson and Stoehr rode behind. Stoehr ended up
in front of the car, wounded with a separated shoulder. Peterson hit
the rear window, suffering severe facial injuries. Thompson told police
on the scene that he was tired of cyclists in his neighborhood and
wanted to "teach them a lesson."
At trial, Thompson denied
making that statement, claiming that he had been attempting to get
photographs of the cyclists, who he said had frightened him. But the
jury didn't buy it, possibly because of Thompson's history of hostility
toward people on bikes. He was also convicted Monday of misdemeanor
reckless driving, a charge stemming from a prior encounter with two
other cyclists.
Prosecutor Mary
Stone urged that Thompson be remanded to jail, saying: "In terms of
public safety, there isn’t a cyclist in Los Angeles who would be
comfortable if he were out on the streets." Judge Scott Millington
apparently agreed, ordering Thompson held without bail. Sentencing is
set for December 3. Thompson faces up to 10 years in prison.
Thompson
could very well get off with a light sentence. But to have prosecutors,
a judge and jury members agree on the heinous nature of this crime, and
to deem its non-driving victims worthy of justice, can scarcely be
interpreted as anything other than a positive development -- one that
will hopefully be noticed by law enforcement officials nationwide.
Damien Newton at Streetsblog LA has followed this case since Thompson's arrest last year. You can catch up on the coverage here.
