# Crazy Dr. charged with felony assult on road bikers



## BunnV (Sep 7, 2005)

This guy was completely out of control. I've had people pass me really closely, yell at me, honk at me etc but never anything like this!

http://laist.com/2008/07/07/road_rage_motorist_vs_cyclists_on_m.php

*WARNING!!!!! PICTURES ARE GRAPHIC!!!!!!!*


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## hansolo3 (Mar 6, 2008)

This is the KNBC newstory about the road rage incident:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C3YGhtJnGxg


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## wipeout (Jun 6, 2005)

The doctor should have killed the cyclists, sadly the punishment for killing cyclists is less than for maiming them. See http://forums.roadbikereview.com/showthread.php?t=124117


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## il sogno (Jul 15, 2002)

I saw that on the news the other night. That one guy had to have his nose reattached. 

Mandeville is a steep narrow residential street. I prefer not to ride it cause of the traffic. This is the same street RBR poster Owen Meany got hit by a car. It is also where Arnold Schwarzenegger got hit by a car while on his motorcycle. 

And this guy is an emergency room doctor? With doctors like this, who needs psychopaths? 

Here's the LA Times story.

_
Bicyclists who crave a steady uphill climb flock to Mandeville Canyon Road and its 5-mile, straight-shot ascent with no traffic lights.

But the route's rising popularity has turned the narrow road into a zone of conflict for Brentwood residents and the hundreds of cyclists who, every weekend, brave its twists, turns and tree-root bumps.

The frustration boiled over on the Fourth of July. In what police describe as a "road-rage incident," two experienced racers on a holiday outing that attracted about 300 cyclists were riding down Mandeville Canyon when a motorist in an Infiniti sedan slammed on his brakes in front of them. Police said the resulting impact propelled one rider through the car's rear window and sent the other to the pavement.

Police arrested the driver, Christopher T. Thompson, 58, on suspicion of felony assault with a deadly weapon -- his automobile. Thompson, who lives on Mandeville Canyon Road and is an owner of a medical documentation company in Woodland Hills, was released on $30,000 bail.

Capt. Bill Eaton of the Los Angeles Police Department said the case could go to the Los Angeles County district attorney's office as early as today.

Peter Swarth, Thompson's attorney, denied that his client had done anything wrong and said the cyclists' account was inaccurate. "This isn't an incident of road rage," Swarth said. "It is a very unfortunate accident. Dr. Thompson hopes for the injured cyclists' recovery."

Cyclist Ron Peterson, 40, whose head crashed through the car window, suffered broken teeth and serious cuts on his face, including one that left his broken nose dangling.

The other cyclist, Christian Stoehr, 29, said he suffered a shoulder separation that would require surgery.

Photos showing a car's shattered window and what appears to be a blood-covered trunk and a cut-up Peterson on a gurney and in a UCLA Medical Center bed were quickly posted on Internet blogs, prompting outraged e-mails among members of Westside riding clubs.

Peterson and Stoehr said they were starting their descent toward Sunset Boulevard when a fellow cyclist crashed into another rider's bike and was injured. The two remained behind to help.

After paramedics arrived and loaded the cyclist into an ambulance, Peterson and Stoehr said they continued to descend, riding side by side at about 30 mph.

Peterson said he pulled in front of Stoehr after a driver behind them honked. The car passed them, missing their handlebars by less than a foot, Peterson said.

The driver "yelled out some profanity and 'Ride single file,' " said Peterson, who works as a cycling coach. Peterson, riding a $5,500 Specialized racing bike, screamed an expletive at the driver. At that point, the driver veered directly in front of the riders and "slammed on his brakes as hard as he could," Peterson said.

Peterson's head slammed through the window. Stoehr, meanwhile, said he tried to steer around the car but clipped it with his bag or a foot. "I ended up being catapulted over my own bike and landed in front of the car," he said.

According to Peterson, the driver emerged from the car and said he was a doctor. But "from that point on, he never offered any help," Peterson said._


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## 80z28s6 (Feb 10, 2005)

This incident made the velonews website also. Just a shame. I can't stand aholes like that.


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## cyclocommuter (Jun 30, 2002)

Here is the link to the Velonews article:

<a href="http://www.velonews.com/article/79771/la-incident-rallies-cycling-community">http://www.velonews.com/article/79771/la-incident-rallies-cycling-community</a>

Apparently this is at least the second time the crazy doctor has done this (brake test cyclists). The first time no one was injured although a complaint was file but not acted upon.


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## Jim Nazium (Feb 3, 2004)

The only good things I can say about this are:
1. the driver is being charged with felony assault, and
2. the riders will probably sue the **** out of him.


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## chopsuuy (May 21, 2008)

Love and Peace....life is too short to be angry.


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## 1stmh (Apr 7, 2007)

chopsuuy said:


> Love and Peace....life is too short to be angry.


Tell that to the ******* who runs you over.


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## doughboy_88 (Aug 22, 2006)

.....


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## il sogno (Jul 15, 2002)

doughboy_88 said:


> Playing devil's advocate, wouldn't you hate to be a resident living on that street with hundreds of cyclists every weekend bombing down your street? Every time you back out of your driveway is a possible lawsuit if you inadvertently back into the path of a cyclist going 30mph. Also, that road is pretty narrow so it's likely to put riders & drivers at odds.
> 
> Again, I'm not saying the doctor was right.


Yeah I know what you mean. I would not want to live on Mandeville. One of the reasons would be the cyclists bombing down my street on weekends. Another reason would be the a-hole neighbors - the type of guys that would do what this guy did to the cyclists. 

We have a friend who lives in the Palisades. His neighbor stories are mainly about who is suing whom over what. 

Anyhooo..... I don't live on Mandeville and I don't ride there.


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## Fsharp3 (Aug 30, 2005)

I'm sorry but I have no sympathy for the residents of the street. Sure it would be a bummer to have to look out for bikes all the time, but don't people check things out before they buy a house? In that neighborhood most of the the people have the money and resources to research properties before they buy. Thats like moving to the Rancho Area of North Griffith Park/Burbank and being frustrated at your neighborhood smelling of Horse. Every time I move (and I'm talking apartments, not houses) I talk to the neighbors to find out what the neighborhood is like, even if I think I already know.


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## Hollywood (Jan 16, 2003)

*radio discussion tonight*

this was featured tonight on the Which Way L.A. segment on KCRW.

features Councilman Bill Rosendahl. not bad!

(FF to 7:00)


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## il sogno (Jul 15, 2002)

Fsharp3 said:


> I'm sorry but I have no sympathy for the residents of the street. Sure it would be a bummer to have to look out for bikes all the time, but don't people check things out before they buy a house? In that neighborhood most of the the people have the money and resources to research properties before they buy. Thats like moving to the Rancho Area of North Griffith Park/Burbank and being frustrated at your neighborhood smelling of Horse. Every time I move (and I'm talking apartments, not houses) I talk to the neighbors to find out what the neighborhood is like, even if I think I already know.


I'll bet that many of them buy their houses thinking how wonderful it is that they are in walking distance to parks like Sullivan Canyon and the Nike Base. On the other hand they get all upset with the traffic from bicyclists (or cars) who want to use the trails in that neighborhood. It's like they want to have their cake and eat it too. 

These people have lots of money. They can certainly afford to sell and live another upscale part of the city.

/ I don't understand why road cyclists would insist on riding that steep narrow street. If I lived on the west side and wanted to do hill repeats I would ride Sepulveda or Benedict Canyon. Maybe do some of the other climbs in the Palisades or Bel Air.


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## Oxtox (Aug 16, 2006)

chopsuuy said:


> Love and Peace....life is too short to be angry.


you're high, right?


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## BunnV (Sep 7, 2005)

*Hill repeats*

Bellagio south of Mulholland and Mountain Gate off Sepulveda are killer hills for hill repeats!


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## edlouie (Feb 22, 2005)

Hollywood said:


> this was featured tonight on the Which Way L.A. segment on KCRW.
> 
> features Councilman Bill Rosendahl. not bad!
> 
> (FF to 7:00)


You can also get the podcast directly from itunes for free, or jump over to KCRW's website in case you miss it.


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## il sogno (Jul 15, 2002)

BunnV said:


> Bellagio south of Mulholland and Mountain Gate off Sepulveda are killer hills for hill repeats!


Palisades Highlands!  

I think it has bike lanes too.


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## JSR (Feb 27, 2006)

I used to work in Santa Monica in the early 90's. Mandeville was my road of choice for hill work. 

Bear in mind, this was only during weekday evenings. There was very little traffic in those days. Cycling traffic was mostly mountain bikers who drove their bikes to the trailhead. Parking was a much bigger issue than road cyclists.

Anyway, this nutjob is going to get his comeuppance. He will pay dearly.

JSR


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## mikeyp123 (Mar 9, 2007)

I've ridden Mandeville many times when I lived in the area a couple years back. There is no constant parade of cyclists going up and down the street. Most mornings I was pretty much the only one, occasionally encountering other cyclist.

The particular ride that this incident happened on is a large holiday group ride that takes place on various holidays, 3 or 4 times a year. My understanding is that it happened after the main pack had already descended. These two cyclist assisted with a crash that happened in the pack. 

Yes the road is narrow, but once you pass the first stop sign it turns into a very quiet neighborhood, seldom any cars. That plus a very constant grade is why the local roadies like it so much. It's still one of my favorite rides in the LA area.

Besides your logic may be flawed. You are assuming drivers are more likely to back up into a cyclists because there are more cyclists than the average street experiences, which may be the case. But I would argue that there are LESS CARS backing up less frequently, therefore making it SAFER?! I would also argue that the drivers are MORE cautious because they are generally MORE aware of cyclists. 

Lest we forget. Driving is a privilege not a right, and with that privilege comes great responsibility.




doughboy_88 said:


> Playing devil's advocate, wouldn't you hate to be a resident living on that street with hundreds of cyclists every weekend bombing down your street? Every time you back out of your driveway is a possible lawsuit if you inadvertently back into the path of a cyclist going 30mph. Also, that road is pretty narrow so it's likely to put riders & drivers at odds.
> 
> Again, I'm not saying the doctor was right.


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## eodusa (Oct 8, 2006)

Got my Glock 26 in my back pocket from now on.

I rather pop off a few shots before i get runned over.


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## chopsuuy (May 21, 2008)

eodusa said:


> Got my Glock 26 in my back pocket from now on.
> 
> I rather pop off a few shots before i get runned over.


Go down in a blaze of gunfire !!


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## marco70 (Jan 15, 2008)

Hey, does anyone know the status on Dr. Christopher "bike-killer" Thompson? Wasn't his court date this past Friday, 12 Sep 08?


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## Hollywood (Jan 16, 2003)

Update:

http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/video?id=6551664


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## ProRoad (Oct 13, 2008)

I got a bullet with his name on it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOO4VZeH4-g


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## BunnV (Sep 7, 2005)

Hollywood said:


> Update:
> 
> http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/video?id=6551664


I hope he gets the max sentence of 7 years.


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## SM-Rider (May 2, 2007)

This was on the latimes.com site.

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-bikers12-2008dec12,0,147065.story


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## Fixed (May 12, 2005)

*as bad as it gets*

Sounds more like attempted murder to me. The Dr. should go to jail, lose everything he owns, and lose his medical license. Hope he gets the crap beat out of him in jail, too.


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## marco70 (Jan 15, 2008)

Keep us updated...looks like sometime after the 1st of the year we'll see if this "Do no harm" Dr. goes to jail. I couldn't think of a better way to usher in 2009...Dr. Christopher "bike-killer" Thompson in jail.


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## quidquam (Nov 4, 2008)

BunnV said:


> I hope he gets the max sentence of 7 years.


I'm shocked that 7 years is the max. This should be 3 counts of attempted murder, at least.


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