Dr. Thompson road rage incident/sentencing(merged)

I want motorists to know that if they assault me with their vehicle, I will be going to jail.

 

What a scumbag. I hope they throw him in jail a long time.

 

Whole thing is depressing.

 

Man that is messed CAT1 racers...

that story got me fired up

 

I had a friend show up to go to the trial but he was wearing bike gear and before the jury was brought in they asked him to leave the courtroom???

No one knows why but the bailiff told him it might send a message to the jury which could have the trial end in a mistrial. Looks like the court room is full but the jury probably doesn't know who we all are.(cyclists)

 

Jail, and the legal matters would be the least of this guys problems if it were me and frankly, I hope that some of the threats that have been made to (unfortunately) the wrong Dr.'s by the same name....find themselves to this a-hole and are followed through on....I would definately be in the cuffs if a driver assaults me in this way....even if I had to hunt him down after I healed.....street justice would be served!

 

Trial continues! Unreal!!

I want to teach them a lesson." — Road rage trial resumes.

LAPD investigator tells jury in road rage trial he was shocked at a driver's comments.

By Patrick Brady
Published: Oct. 22, 2009
A traffic investigator told jurors in the Los Angeles road rage trial this week that a driver’s comment at the scene of the incident “was so shocking his words burned into my brain.”
Dr. Christopher Thomas Thompson is on trial in Los Angeles Superior Court for assault and other charges related to an incident on a narrow canyon road involving two cyclists on the Fourth of July, 2008. Thompson also faces charges related to a similar, earlier, incident on the same road, involving a different cyclist.
Prosecutors say that after a brief exchange of words on the Fourth, Thompson passed the two cyclists then slammed on his brakes, causing the riders to slam into the rear his car.
On Tuesday, the jury heard testimony from an Los Angeles police traffic investigator, a doctor who treated the cyclists at the scene and a plastic surgeon who operated on one of the cyclists’ broken nose. The testimony was graphic enough that one juror had to leave the court room for a few minutes after feeling faint. Jurors also heard from the cyclist who says he had the earlier encounter with Thompson.
After a break Wednesday, testimony resumes Thursday.
’Burned into my brain’

LAPD traffic investigator Robert Rodriguez said he arrived at the scene on Mandeville Canyon Road with the fire department and asked Thompson what happened.
According to Rodriguez, Thompson said, “I just live up the road. I was driving to go to work. The bikers were in front of me, three across. I honked my horn and yelled ‘ride single file.’ The bicyclists flipped me off and yelled back. I passed them up and stopped in front to teach them a lesson. I’m tired of them. I’ve lived here for years and they always ride like this.”
Thompson’s attorney, Peter Swarth, questioned Rodriguez extensively about how he could recall the exact words, since Rodriguez did not write them down for more than 90 minutes.

Later, Deputy District Attorney Mary Stone asked Rodriguez in re-direct examination how he was able to remember.
Rodriguez replied, “That statement was so shocking his words burned into my brain.”
Stone asked, “Have you ever been to a collision where someone said they wanted to teach that person a lesson?”
“Never,” said Rodriguez.
Rodriguez said that after Thompson’s comments, he decided the incident was assault with a deadly weapon and called the department’s patrol division to take over the investigation.
Samaritan neighbor

Next to testify was physician Bruce Rogen. Rogen was driving up the canyon to his home that morning when he came on the scene.
He said he approached Peterson, who was “sitting cross-legged leaning forward dripping blood. The piece of cloth to his face was sodden with blood. There was a fair amount of trauma. I identified myself as a doctor and asked a few questions. I was concerned there could be more damage.”
Rogen checked Peterson for a head injury. He checked the injury to Peterson’s nose and removed his own shirt and used it to apply pressure to the wound.
In listening to the description of Peterson’s blood loss, one juror began feeling faint and court was recessed for five minutes.
On cross-examination, Swarth asked Rogen about any exchange he had with Thompson and with the cyclists regarding Thompson — a former emergency room physician.
“(The cyclists) didn’t want him to treat them,” he said. “They didn’t want him nearby." Asked to describe Thompson, he said, “He seemed agitated, anxious.”
Surgeon testifies

Geoffrey Keyes is the plastic surgeon who operated on Peterson. In his testimony he said Peterson’s injuries included a broken nose and broken internal structures as well as scars on his lip, chin and nose. He needed nasal septul reconstruction.
The surgery was performed under general anesthesia, required re-breaking the nose and using chisels to shape the bone and took an hour and half to complete. Displays included photographs taken before and after the surgery.
The earlier incident

Previous articles:

Oct. 20, 2009: Defense suggests cyclists were looking for a fight
Oct. 19, 2009: Road-rage trial begins
Oct. 12, 2009: California road-rage case heads for court
Dec. 24, 2008: Mionske: Mandeville incident inspires Cyclists Bill of Rights
Aug. 15, 2008: Mionske: Bikes v. cars
Aug. 8, 2008: Mionske: Where's the justice?
July 14, 2008: Mailbag: Readers sound off
July 13, 2008: Doctor charged
July 10, 2008: LA incident rallies cyclists

Final testimony on the day came from Patrick Watson, a former professional adventure racer who filed charges against Watson for an alleged incident that occurred in March, 2008.
Watson said he and training partner Josh Crosby were descending at roughly 30 mph —the speed limit for the road — when Thompson approached from behind. Crosby and Watson moved to ride single file, he said.
Watson said, “The car came so fast and so close I had to jump off the road. I did a bunny hop up the curb into the grass. When I jumped back on the road Thompson slammed on his brakes.”
Watson said he bunny hopped back onto the curb and stopped. He got off his bike and leaned it against a fence.
“(Thompson) drove straight at me and then he drove off,” he said.
Watson contacted the police and attempted to press charges, but ultimately, no charges were filed.
Asked by Stone why he contacted the district attorney, Watson said, “I wanted to make sure they did something this time.”

 

Wow. Speechless.

 

My favorite quote from one of those articles...

"Swarth also suggested that at least one of the cyclists may have simply succumbed to the inherent instability of his bicycle, lost balance and fallen over"

Its not the rocks that make you fall, or any debris in the road (including cars), its the fact that bicycles are inherently unstable and should be banned from society! They are death traps!

 

+1 for that
I work at the USDC, and even the mail room guys have to wear ties

 

Dang, this story is nuts!! And those photos are gruesome! I've had some incidents on the road, but never anything like this. I hope that "Dr." receives his justice because he acted with malicious intent regardless of what occured at the scene.

 

Today's update from Velonews... sorry if it looks a bit wonky, I just copy and pasted it...

Prosecution rest in LA road rage case. Defense will call witnesses Monday.

By Patrick Brady
Published: Oct. 26, 2009

Los Angeles Deputy District Attorney Mary Stone rested the prosecution’s case against Dr. Christopher Thomas Thompson on Friday afternoon, following five and a half days of testimony in Thompson's trial on assault charges.
The charges stem from an altercation with two cyclists on a Los Angeles County canyon road on July 4, 2008, and another incident involving two different cyclists in March that year, on the same road.
In the final two days of the prosecution’s case, jurors heard testimony from two cyclists involved in the March episode, which did not result in any injuries.
Jurors also heard testimony from doctors who treated the cyclists in the July 4 incident; an accident reconstruction expert who analyzed GPS files from cyclists in both incidents; another cyclist who said he had an altercation with Thompson earlier, and finally an LAPD detective who investigated the case.

The March incident

Thursday began with defense attorney Peter Swarth finishing up the cross-examination of Patrick Watson, one of the riders involved in the March incident. Swarth spent a great deal of time going over Watson’s two bunny hops onto the grass next to the road as well as the distances between Dr. Thompson and Watson at various stages of the incident.
Watson had difficulty relating specific distances at specific points. Eventually, in referring to the point at which Watson got off his bike, Swarth said, “You wanted to kill (Dr. Thompson)!”
“I was pissed,” Watson said.
Testimony then moved to the inability of a motorist to identify a cyclist by anything such as a license or other identifying mark.
Swarth charged, “You remain anonymous!” to which the prosecution objected as argumentative, which the judge sustained.

Next to testify was Patrick Watson’s training partner, Josh Crosby. Crosby had an easier time describing the events of the day to the jury. He said Thompson passed them, words were exchanged, then Thompson pulled ahead, forcing Watson onto the grass and Crosby into oncoming traffic. He said after Watson returned to the road Thompson stopped suddenly, forcing Watson back onto the grass and Crosby into the oncoming traffic lane yet again. Crosby said when he told Thompson to get out of the car, Thompson accelerated toward each rider.
Later, under cross-examination, Swarth asked Crosby why he wanted Thompson to get out of the car. Swarth asked, “Did you want to educate him?”
“I don’t think there was any need for education,” Crosby said. “I think he knew what he was doing.”
Swarth asked what his plan was.
“The plan,” Crosby said, “was to see if my teammate was okay, get (Thompson’s) info and wait for the cops.”

GPS data

Watson, in the March incident, and Stoehr, in the July 4 incident, each used GPS devices on their bikes. Accident reconstruction specialist Gerald Bretting said the devices showed Stoehr was going 28.1 mph and Watson was going 29.2 mph just prior to Thompson passing them in their respective incidents.

A third incident raised

Patrick Early told jurors that he had an incident with a driver he believes was Thompson, sometime in the winter of 2008. Early, who said he is a casual cyclist, said he could hear a car approach at a high rate of speed, which he estimated to be 40 to 50 mph. He said he could judge the speed by the engine’s high rpms, the tire sound on the road and the sound of air moving over the body of the car.
Following a loud, long honk of the horn, Stone asked Early what he did next.
“I braced for impact,” he said. “I thought I was going to be hit.”
Early works in the automotive industry and described in great detail how he identified the vehicle that passed him. He even drew a sketch of the differences in body styles of various Infiniti models.
According to Early, as the car passed, the driver turned and said either, “Get the **** out of the road,” or “Get the **** off the road.” Early said he couldn’t be certain which of the two it was due to wind noise.
Early said he yelled back after the car was past, “I think, asshole.”
Early said the driver stopped approximately 25 feet ahead of him. Because Early was riding uphill at only about 10 mph, he was able to stop without running into Thompson’s vehicle.
Early testified the driver was “angry, extremely angry. He was in a rage; he was someone out of control.”
The defense begins its case at 11 a.m. Monday.

 

I can't believe that this guy isn't working a deal with the prosecutor. Since he's not a celebrity, with these facts, he's going to get killed (figuratively, only figuratively). I can't wait to hear his defense. I wish this was on court T.V.

 

I can't believe that this guy isn't working a deal with the prosecutor.

Juries are strange...never know what they are going to do. Let's hope they get this one right!

 

[-o-]

 

Here's the latest:

http://www.velonews.com/article/99644/dr-thompson-takes-the-stand-in-his-trial-on-assault-charges

 

this article sets forth the testimony in detail with commentary by a less than impartial observer:

Attorneys will tell you than no defense lawyer wants to put his client on the stand in a criminal trial.
It’s usually considered the last resort, in hopes that the defendant and his story will appear sympathetic to the jury, despite the inherent risks in exposing the defendant to cross-examination.
And it looks like that’s exactly what will happen Wednesday in the Mandeville Canyon case. On both counts.
Dr. Christopher Thompson and his attorney may take the stand to try and spin the events of July 4, 2008 in his favor. If they do, the prosecutor has shown every indication of being willing to go after him as aggressively as necessary.
According to cyclist/attorney DJwheels, who was in the courtroom again yesterday afternoon, it looks like the trial will go to the jury late Wednesday or Thursday morning. Meanwhile, the testimony presented on Monday appears to be setting up an appearance by the defendant himself.
Since any good lawyer will want to end with a bang, that means Thompson is likely to be the defense’s final witness, unless scheduling issues force Peter Swarth, the Good Doctor’s lawyer, to follow with someone else.
It’s just a guess. But it’s an informed guess, from a lawyer who’s been closely following the Mandeville Canyon case.
So mark your calendar.
It could be the perfect opportunity to kick off your Halloween weekend with something truly horrifying.
“The laws of physics just don’t allow it.”
Unfortunately, DJwheels had to tend to his own legal practice on Monday.
As a result, he missed the first hour of defense testimony, and wasn’t sure about the exact name of the first witness called by Swarth — a highly paid expert witness specializing in accident reconstruction.
He presented two animations offering a 2-dimensional bird’s eye view showing how the accident could have happened. The first was based on statements provided by Chris Roberts, the cyclist Peterson and Stoehr had just passed prior to their encounter with Thompson; Swarth claimed he had the best perspective of the events. The second was based on Dr. Thompson’s version of events, setting up his potential testimony.
However, the witness conceded under cross-examination that the Thompson animation was based on information provided by Swarth, rather than actual police statements or interviews with the doctor.
He testified that Roberts had said Thompson was traveling at about 40 mph — 10 miles over the posted speed limit — when the Good Doctor passed him before encountering the other two riders. (So much for Thompson’s claim that the cyclists were riding “three abreast.”)
By his estimation, that allowed about 2.3 seconds between the time the brakes were applied and the moment of impact with the rear of Thompson’s car. The second animation allowed even more time, 3.4 seconds, due to Thompson’s estimate that he’d been traveling at 45 mph.
In his opinion, either estimate provided enough time for both riders to see the brake lights and respond in time to avoid collision — making the collision their fault, rather than that of the doctor who told police he did it to “teach them a lesson.”
Evidently, he’s never tried to stop a bike going downhill at 30 mph.
Asked why he didn’t prepare a 3rd animation based on Peterson and Stoehr’s statements, he said the way they described the events couldn’t have happened. “The laws of physics just don’t allow it,” he said, adding “it would have been a cartoon.”
Under cross-examination by assistant D.A. Mary Stone, he was asked if he discounted the fact that Thompson had made an “abrupt and aggressive” move in front of the cyclists before slamming on his brakes. According to DJwheels, he tried to evade the question before conceding, “I can’t show aggression in an animation.”
Stone pressed him further, showing him the infamous photo of the back of the Good Doctor’s Lexus, and asking if he agreed that Thompson had “slammed” on the brakes, causing the damage seen in the photo. Again, he tried to evade the question, but eventually conceded the point. “I’m denying that it was the sole cause, not that it was any cause.”
He also admitted that he would receive about $40,000 for his testimony and preparation for trial — with the clear implication that he would not have been paid to testify if his conclusions didn’t support the defense.
“They both slapped the car as they passed”
The next witness was Jody Fitz, who was a passenger in the car when the Good Doctor had the earlier encounter with Patrick Watson and Josh Crosby.
According to Fitz, they were headed down the canyon when they came up behind two cyclists riding side-by-side on Mandeville Canyon. Thompson tried to pass them, but couldn’t due to oncoming traffic.
However, a second attempt was more successful; Fitz said Thompson rolled down the passenger window as they passed, extended his arm and index finger, and yell out “Ride single file!”
The cyclists responded by flipping the bird and yelling something he couldn’t make out. According to Fitz, when Thompson made a “normal, controlled stop,” the cyclists passed on either side, both slapping the car as they passed. He contradicted Watson’s earlier testimony that he bunny hopped the curb, saying neither rider ever left the roadway.
He said both riders dismounted and began to approach the car; he thought there would be a fight until Thompson stepped on the gas and took off.
Under cross, Stone was able to point out a number of contradictions between his testimony and the statement he had give to the police. For instance, he told a police detective that the car hadn’t passed close to the cyclists, claiming the distance was great enough that the riders wouldn’t have been able to touch the car — despite his claim that both slapped the vehicle after it braked to a stop.
He also testified that, following the confrontation, neither he nor Thompson said anything about it until later that evening; however, he told police that Thompson had been muttering angrily afterwards, saying something like “those son of a bitches flipped me off.” And he denied saying that Thompson had stopped at the next stop sign to “see what he could do about them.”
Two witnesses with nothing much to say
The day ended with brief testimony from two other witnesses.
Dr. John Uphold, the Good Doctor’s former partner/employer, was asked about the period between December 2007 and January 2008 when Thompson is suspected to braking in front of Patrick Early, who had been riding up Mandeville Canyon when a car matching Thompson’s slammed on the brakes in front of him.
He testified that the Good Doctor had often been out of town on business or visiting family during that period, implying that it couldn’t have been his car. However, he was forced to admit that he wasn’t in the car on those days when Thompson was in town, so he had no way of knowing what might have happened then.
He was followed by LAPD Detective Phillip Enbody, the senior lead officer in the Brentwood area. He was asked if he was aware of any tension between cyclists and residents in Mandeville Canyon, and if he had advised residents to use cameras to document any problems with cyclists.
“Not exactly,” he said, adding that he made that suggestion in response to complaints about people walking their dogs off leash.
Testimony continues today with the woman to whom Det. Enbody supposedly made that suggestion, along with another expert witness and a second police officer.
………
Dr. Alex urges cyclists to attend this weekend’s DIY bike plan session with the Bike Working Group, while Enci explains why she hates L.A. bike lanes. The Times reports on an off-road fat tire fest in the hills above L.A. In a refreshing change, a Folsom driver apologizes to the cyclist he didn’t see on his way to work. As usual, WA police hope to keep cyclists safe by targeting riders, rather than the people who hit them. Eugene celebrates its new Gold Bike-Friendly award. The widow of the New Zealand rider killed by a hat-trick drunk driver demands changes in the law to keep drunks off the road. Town Mouse says this is what Scottish cyclists need instead of bike lanes. Finally, Newt Gingrich, the student cyclist’s friend? Really?

 

Sweetpea, Where'd you get that testimony?? It's awesome!

Home » Top Stories » News and Features »

Dr. Thompson takes the stand in his trial on assault charges.

By Patrick Brady
Published: Oct. 28, 2009

Road-Rage Trial: Dr. Thompson's rear window following the crash.
Photo: Chris Roberts


Dr. Christopher Thomas Thompson took the stand in his defense on Tuesday afternoon in Los Angeles in his trial on assaulting cyclists in 2008.
Thompson answered preliminary questions from his defense attorney, Peter Swarth; Thompson is expected to resume testimony Wednesday, when he is likely to be asked about two or three incidents involving cyclists on his home street, Los Angeles County's Mandeville Canyon Road.
Thompson is charged with assault with a deadly weapon and other charges stemming from an incident on the Fourth of July, 2008, when he is alleged to have braked in front of two cyclists descending the road. Other charges stem from a similar earlier incident in 2008 involving two other cyclists.
Brake test

Tuesday's testimony began with Los Angeles police officer Dave Martin, one of two officers who responded to a call from cyclist Patrick Watson in March, 2008. Watson testified earlier in the trial that Thompson had braked in front of him but he was able to avoid a collision by bunnyhopping over a curb and off the road.
Swarth asked Officer Martin if he had suggested that Watson could file a charge of hit and run against Thompson.
“No,” said Martin.
Also testifying was Roman Beck, an accident reconstruction specialist who analyzed the braking distance of a Specialized Tarmac bicycle similar to the one Ron Peterson rode on July 4. Beck also had inspected Peterson’s actual bicycle.
Beck said Federal requirements demand that any bicycle be able to generate braking force equal to one-half gravity (.5G). In nine tests of varying brake force with the same components, tires and brake shoes, Peterson’s bike achieved a maximum stopping power of .66G. Beck said Peterson’s bike would require two seconds to stop from a speed of 30 mph, which is roughly the speed Peterson was traveling before the incident, according to testimony and GPS data.

Beck said Peterson had equipment sufficient to allow him to either avoid Thompson’s car and brake sufficiently to avoid hitting it.
Under cross examination Deputy District Attorney Mary Stone asked Beck, “If (Thompson) had simply kept going there would have been no accident, correct?”
Beck said, “Yes.”

Previous articles:

Oct. 28, 2009: Dr. Thompson takes the stand
Oct. 26, 2009: Prosecution rests
Oct. 22, 2009: 'I wanted to teach them a lesson'
Oct. 20, 2009: Defense suggests cyclists were looking for a fight
Oct. 19, 2009: Road-rage trial begins
Oct. 12, 2009: California road-rage case heads for court
Dec. 24, 2008: Mionske: Mandeville incident inspires Cyclists Bill of Rights
Aug. 15, 2008: Mionske: Bikes v. cars
Aug. 8, 2008: Mionske: Where's the justice?
July 14, 2008: Mailbag: Readers sound off
July 13, 2008: Doctor charged
July 10, 2008: LA incident rallies cyclists

Jurors also saw two brief videos giving a view of Mandeville Canyon Road from a car’s point of view of the empty road and with Patrick Watson leading the way by bike.
Memories ...

The majority of the day was taken up with testimony from Dr. Mitchell Eisen, a forensic psychologist with UCLA. Swarth asked him about the reliability of the memory of cyclist Patrick Early, who testified earlier in the trial. Early had told jurors about an incident in the winter of 2008 when he was passed by a driver resembling Thompson, in a car similar to Thompson's. Early said the car passed him quickly and closely and that the driver yelled at him.
Eise told the court, “Our memory is not so perfect as a camera. When we recall information, we have gaps. We use inference to fill in the gaps. Sometimes we don’t do it correctly; sometimes it results in including a mistake.”
Eisen’s testimony was lengthy and several jurors seemed to tune out; one appeared to fall asleep.
Thompson takes the stand

Thompson’s testimony lasted less than a half hour. Swarth asked him questions about where he grew up and where he was educated. Thompson told about his undergraduate and medical education at the University of Oklahoma and joining the emergency room staff at Beverly Hospital in Los Angeles in 1984.
Testimony resumes at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday. Thompson’s testimony is expected to occupy the entire day.

 

I don't wish anything bad on the Dr. dude, but I really hope that JUSTICE prevails and is SERVED!