According to cyclist and attorney Dj Wheels, L.A.’s very own bike boogie man has lost his appeal of his conviction, and will remain in prison for the foreseeable future.
Dr. Christopher Thompson was convicted of assaulting and seriously injuring two cyclists on Mandeville Canyon on July 4th, 2008, and was sentenced to five years in state prison for five felony convictions and two misdemeanors.
It shouldn’t have surprised anyone that he had appealed his conviction. And thankfully, it comes as no surprise that the judge has affirmed the original conviction, which means that the Good Doctor will serve the remaining three-and-a-half years of his sentence in the medium security California Rehabilitation Center in Norco.
Dj Wheels is going to try to get more information on the ruling, which came with extra instructions that were not published online.
But you can sleep easy tonight.
The boogie man is safely behind bars.
Update: Velonews has more information, including the basis of Thompson’s rejected appeal:
In his appeal, Thompson said the trial court erred in allowing testimony about an earlier, similar incident in which another cyclist, Patrick Early, had an encounter with Thompson on the same road. Thompson said the testimony was unreliable, dissimilar from the incident he was charged with and prejudicial to his case. Thompson also claimed he was ineffectually represented at the trial, and challenged the trial court’s decision to not grant him probation and to pay the victims’ legal fees.
The appellate court rejected all of these claims.
Velonews reports that Thompson did win one small victory, however, as he was credited for one extra day in custody prior to sentencing, reducing his prison time by 68 days, rather than the 67 he was originally credited with.
Thanks to Jim Lyle for the heads-up.
(Laughing.)
I think he’s better off in there with L.A. County’s new ordnance. Can you imagine his reaction when he finally gets out?
“You mean I can’t even YELL at them anymore?”
More on velonews:
http://velonews.competitor.com/2011/07/news/court-rejects-appeal-in-los-angeles-road-rage-conviction_186455
(Ted, can we use html here?)
WordPress allows some html in the comments, but doesn’t seem to list what is allowed anymore. My suggestion is to go ahead and try it; if it doesn’t work, I can always correct it on this end.
First off, I love your blog! Second, I live in LA and I just wanted to share with you this article that I came across last night: http://opinion.latimes.com/opinionla/2011/07/bicycle-awareness-in-los-angeles.html I thought it was pretty cool but would like to know what your opinion is on it? Thanks!
I think it’s a great idea. In fact, I wrote about a similar idea proposed by Todd Mumford a couple years ago. Anything that increases visibility and makes drivers realize that we’re people, too, can’t hurt.
Good news, but I admit I expected him to win the appeal. Just seems to always go that way for cyclists these days. I’m glad to be wrong this time
If you’re interested in reading the entire 23-page Court of Appeal decision (not the most exciting read in the world), you can read at http://www.courtinfo.ca.gov/opinions/nonpub/B221794.PDF .
Reading the defense’s version of events in the CoA decision is sickening. It’s like being inside a very oblivious and angry driver’s head.
But it was wonderful to have the absurdity of Thompson’s story laid out in the appellate opinion. It is unfortunate that the appellate court chose not to have it published in the official reports.
While it is great that Velonews has kept abreast of the appeal, the labeling in the article that this was a “road rage conviction” was terribly misplaced. The evidence and multiple incidents clearly established that these were deliberate, premediated acts of violence and not some form of road rage resulting in a momentary loss of control.
Thanks to Ted for this wonderful and informative blog and to Mike for the link to the opinion.
[...] Road Rage Doctor, Christopher Thompson, Appeals His Jail Sentence, Loses (Biking In L.A.) [...]
Are you people serious? Bike should be in bike lanes period!! I hope each of you who chooses to ride in the street gets hit and then learns a valuable lesson….Bikes DO NOT belong on the road, street or highways!! Just as cars do not belong on sidewalks!!
Thank you for demonstrating your complete and total ignorance on the subject. Bikes are allowed on the street, by law, in every state of the union, and drivers are required to operate their vehicles in a safe and legal manner — in other words, not hit anyone else on the roadway.
Don’t like it? Then turn in your driver’s license, because anyone who is unwilling to safely share the road safely is unfit to be behind the wheel.
And yes, everyone who rides in the street and gets hit by a car does learn a valuable lesson — that too many people like you are more than happy to blame the victim.
Ok well there is a valid point that bikes and cars are not equal…so this just proves that those laws are antiquated and need to be revised…they got smart by not allowing bikes on the freeways…let’s go this a little further…if bikes have to obey the same laws then I say…they should pay for bike licenses, bike license plates and riding insurance, etc.
There’s a reason why bikes and their riders aren’t licensed and insured. Bikes don’t kill people; cars and their drivers do. You can count the number of people killed by cyclists on one hand while over 33,000 people are killed by motor vehicles every year.
So instead of blaming the victim, as you are so desperately trying to do, you should be calling for everyone — cyclists and drivers alike — to obey the law and operate their vehicles safely.
Well that is such a COP OUT!! If you share the road then you should also share the responsibility….What happened to taking responsibility for your own actions, ie, choosing an appropriate venue to ride your bicycle. There are thousands of bike paths across Los Angeles, why the need to ride on streets is beyond me. I can tell you that more than 75% of bicycle riders DO NOT obey posted signs (ie, stop signs)…why on Earth should I respect that?? You bicycle people really must think highly of yourselves to fall under the radar of law enforcement when you ride.
Bullshit, NM. It’s a cop out to call for everyone to ride and drive safely and legally? Seriously?
As for your figures on bicyclists who stop at stop signs, I challenge you to sit at any stop sign and count the number of drivers who come to a full and complete stop. I have, and I can assure that very few do.
I can also assure you that very few drivers obey the speed limit or signal for their turns — yet somehow, you are up in arms about cyclists who don’t? Why don’t you direct your misplaced anger at careless/distracted drivers drunks, speeders and others who pose a real danger to everyone on the road around them?
As for the the reason you should respect cyclists, the law requires you to, whether you want to or not. As does common decency; that’s not just a cyclist, but a mother, father, son or daughter on that bike. When you see the human being there, and not just the bike, maybe you’ll show them the respect and courtesy everyone deserves.
As a member of the LAPD Bike Task Force, I can assure you that bike riders get tickets, just like drivers do. As well they should when they break the law.
LAPD Bike Task Force….what a joke is that!! The LAPD is the most corrupt law enforecment agency in America…give me a break!!
That answer says a lot more about you than it does the department, my friend. When you can back that up — and say what the hell it has to do with cyclists’ legal right to the road — feel free to come back.
As the “laws of physics” suggests, bicyclists should be respectful of their inferiority on the road. Unfortunately too many bicyclists let their selfrighteousness trump their common sense. If you are going to be on the roads, stick to the wider roads when possible and be aware of your impact on the faster and bigger vehicles.
I “love” how so many cyclists pat themselves on the back for eliminating their emmissions without also understanding that their selfsih driving habits can slow down the cars on the road and increase other people’s emmissions thus eclipsing their efforts.
NM, those “laws of physics” you bandy about don’t come into play unless you or someone else operates their vehicle carelessly, illegally or in a distracted manner. Collisions are actually hard to have; as long as both parties use the road in a safe, considerate and legal manner, everyone will get home safely.
As for emissions, in the nearly 40 years I’ve driven a car, I have never encountered a cyclist who could not be passed safely with just a few seconds patience. If your car belches out that much emissions — note the spelling, please — you have made a very poor choice of vehicle; judging by your own words, you seem like the sort of impatient and angry driver that makes the roads dangerous for everyone.
I would strongly suggest that you visit the DMV website and read their advice on how to share the road; you’ll also find some very good advice here.
Every single bike you complain about represents one car that isn’t in your way; cars that take up more space, are more dangerous, harder to pass and cause far more congestion than any bike.
So relax, already. We’re not the enemy.
I do think that justice was served; no one should be a vigilante and take the law into their own hands even if the other party is wrong. I’ve had people try to “brake check” me as well when I was driving a car. Personally I always change lanes when there is a bicyclists on the road even if they are in a bike lane because I don’t feel comfortable driving next to them (scared I will hit them) so I stay in the left lane.