Road-rage verdict: victims speak
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Tue November 03 2009
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Posted Nov 2, 2009
- 14,486
Los Angeles, CA
Judge denies bail as the prosecutor says no cyclist would
feel safe with Thompson on the road
The courtroom gallery was filled to capacity Monday as a
jury of seven women and five men announced it had
convicted former emergency room doctor Christopher Thomas
Thompson of assaulting a pair of cyclists last year by
abruptly stopping his car in front of them.
For the first time in the trial, which spanned three
weeks, cyclists outnumbered Thompson supporters in the
gallery. There was a palpable tension in the room greater
than any felt during the trial.
Thompson was convicted of six felonies: two counts each of
assault with a deadly weapon and battery with serious
bodily injury as well as reckless driving causing
specified injury and mayhem. He was also convicted of
misdemeanor reckless driving.
The six felonies stemmed from the July 4, 2008 incident
with cyclists Ron Peterson and Christian Stoehr. The
misdemeanor was occasioned by the altercation with
cyclists Patrick Watson and Josh Crosby.
When the jury entered the room only one member of the
panel hazarded a brief glance at the defendant; the rest
looked at the judge, the attorneys or into the gallery.
When the court clerk read the verdict of “guilty” for the
first count, reckless driving causing specified injury,
Thompson’s head slumped. He then raised it and waited for
the verdict in the second count, battery with serious
bodily injury. “Guilty,” the clerk said and this time
Thompson’s head dropped, chin to chest. He did not lift
his head for the rest of the verdicts, all guilty.
When the clerk finished reading off the verdicts, Thompson
appeared to cry and wiped his hands under his glasses.
Thompson’s attorney Peter Swarth asked that each juror be
polled. One by one, each juror responded “yes,” they voted
to convict Thompson on all counts.
After the verdicts, Deputy District Attorney Mary Stone
ask the judge to sentence Thompson “as soon as the court’s
calendar will allow.”
As a cautionary move, Swarth had earlier prepared a
request to allow Thompson to remain out on bail until
sentencing. Judge Scott Millington scanned the motion and
asked Stone if she would like to respond to that request.
“Yes, your honor.”
Stone cited Thompson’s flight risk, his lack of ties to
the area (he no longer lives or works in Los Angeles and
was likely to lose his medical license soon). She then
added, “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 Millington cited Thompson’s incentive to flee and
the serious nature of the crimes he committed and ordered
Thompson’s bail revoked and that he be remanded to custody
immediately. With that, bailiffs ordered Thompson to
stand, placed handcuffs on him and walked him to a holding
cell.
The victims and Stone held a brief news conference outside
the courthouse.
Asked if he was pleased with the verdict, Christian Stoehr
said, “It was tough for me, to be honest, it's sad for
both sides. I'm glad it sends a message to the community
that it is dangerous and we have to watch out, but at the
end of the day, I lost a lot of my time and my life, and
he's losing a lot of his.”
Peterson was asked if he had lingering trauma from the
incident. “More nervous, yes; whenever a car comes by me
still — a year and three months later — I flinch, and even
when I'm driving and I see brake lights in front of me, I
flinch every single time,” he said.
Would this verdict make a difference in car and cyclist
relations? Josh Crosby offered his perspective. “Like the
sign says, share the road and be respectful of each other.
If we do something wrong, you need to take responsibility
for it, and I don't think he took any responsibility for
it,” he said.
Thompson will be sentenced Dec. 3. He faces a maximum of
ten years in prison, but with no prior criminal record, he
is unlikely to receive the maximum.
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