A doctor convicted of assaulting two cyclists in Brentwood by driving in front of them and slamming on his brakes was sentenced today to five years in prison, ending a case a judge described as a wake-up call about tensions between cyclists and motorists on Los Angeles’ streets.
Wearing dark blue jail scrubs, Christopher Thompson wept after offering a tearful apology to the injured riders. He also urged a peaceful resolution to conflicts between cyclists and residents of the upscale residential street where the crash took place.
But Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Scott T. Millington expressed doubts about the physician’s remorse and found that the victims were particularly vulnerable because they were on bicycles. In an unusual move, the judge called on cyclists and drivers to respect each other and said local government should add more lanes specifically assigned to cyclists to improve their safety.
The judge’s words provide ammunition for a burgeoning movement that has sought to improve transportation conditions for Los Angeles’ swelling ranks of cyclists, many of whom have long felt like second-class citizens in a city in love with its cars.
The July 4, 2008, crash drew intense interest from cyclists nationwide. More than 270 cyclists wrote letters and e-mails urging a long prison sentence. But Millington said he did not consider the correspondence, saying it would have been inappropriate to do so.
– from articles.latimes.com