Comments on: LA Road Rage Doc Convicted for Horrific 2008 Cyclist Assault

By: BikeNJohn

BikeNJohn — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 17:01:40 +0000

His license to practice medicine should be suspended by the State Licensing Board as well. The Hipocratic Oath obligates him to “Do no harm”.

By: mothra

mothra — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 00:24:05 +0000

The hero in this story is Officer Rodriguez. He is the one who charged Thompson with assault with a deadly weapon. Without officers willing to charge drivers who harass cyclists, we are really and truly alone out there. A motorist did exactly the same thing to me with not as serious results (we were moving slowly), but when I called the police and reported the guy to them (I had his license plate number), they shrugged and said “well, officially, you were following too closely if you hit the guy from behind.” Nice.

By: cochon

cochon — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 22:39:52 +0000

yeah, suspending his license will surely guarantee that he’ll never drive again.

please.

california has it’s 3 strikes law. 6 felonies means this guy could be put away for a very long time. please keep us updated on sentencing.

By: Kaja

Kaja — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 20:25:27 +0000

Whoa hey a comment board full of Americans recommending unusual punishments. Who’d have thought?

Leaning on an anecdote as evidence: This nation is characterized by massive, popular, thorough disrespect for fundamental laws. And it’s a race to the bottom: Why should I respect them when my neighbors and the cops don’t?

That’d make me a /sucker/.

By: Philly G

Philly G — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 20:02:33 +0000

Respect for other human beings. If someone really cared about the safety of their peers, then why would they risk the lives of their peers… to prove a point? As we can see it’s not worth it. I think that some people forget that, for every type of vehicle on the road, there is a human at the controls. I also think that people forget how fragile the human body is.

By: bb

bb — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 19:01:11 +0000

You’re asking people to convict their members based on actions they never do ride (ride a bike)
Until we get some well defined laws, the jury is always going to be tainted.

By: Glenn

Glenn — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 17:50:01 +0000

Nate – I’m not sure that making biking a punishment akin to community service enhances its image with the general public.

By: Glenn

Glenn — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 17:48:46 +0000

It’s really that “assault with deadly weapon” that I think is very apt in this and many other situations. All aggressive road rage driving should be considered similarly. Driving aggressively because someone cut you off or somehow impeded your progress is like waiving a gun around at someone. It breaks the peace of civil society and endangers everyone in the vicinity.

By: Nate Briggs

Nate Briggs — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 17:44:07 +0000

I love Doug’s suggestion. A clever sentence would be 10 years suspended license, and the requirement that Mr Thompson ride a bicycle regularly. That – in addition to a financial reimbursement to the cyclists – would be real justice.

By: Doug

Doug — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 17:32:20 +0000

If he’s given a lenient sentence or released, proper punishment should also include a suspension of his license for a predetermined period of time. Let this guy get around LA on a bike for a while.

By: jk

jk — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 17:05:30 +0000

This case would have meant a lot more if the crazed motorist had said nothing and still been convicted based on his actions. If he had just said “I didn’t see them” he probably would have been acquitted, or never been charged. Rarely do motorists — even the ones trying to hit you on purpose — slow down and tell you they are attempting to injure you.