by Are you thinking this sounds a little extreme? Read on...
In the L.A. times article Cyclists have a lot riding on L.A. driver's trial Jack Leonard explains what happened to cyclists Rick Wurz and Christian Stoehr as they were on a group ride that was riding in groups of 2s and 3s.
The two were traveling about 30 mph -- the speed limit on the road -- when they heard a car honking behind them. Behind the wheel of a red Infiniti was Thompson, a pudgy, veteran emergency room physician who had lived on the road since 1987. Wearing blue scrubs, Thompson was heading to work at Beverly Hospital in Montebello.
The cyclists testified that they began maneuvering to ride single file. The Infiniti sped past within a foot of Peterson's handlebars and the driver shouted to them to ride single file. Peterson swore at him. "He was acting like a bully," Peterson told jurors.
What happened next was in dispute but jurors found Thompson to ultimately be guilty.
Peterson and Stoehr say the Infiniti pulled in front of them and braked hard.
...Peterson's bicycle hit the car's bumper, flinging him through the rear window.
"It felt like a wall," Peterson said. His two front teeth were broken. The impact and glass shards nearly tore his nose from his face, requiring reconstructive surgery. Blood spattered the sedan's trunk. Stoehr landed in front of the car and suffered a separated shoulder.
Here are some other interesting quotes from the article, which were extremely incriminating for Thompson:
Thompson called 911. A recording of the call picked up Thompson telling one of the cyclists: "Get your bike out of the road, why don't you?"
The doctor told the 911 operator about the profanity the cyclists yelled at him. "I slammed on my brakes. They went into me."
The operator asked if the injuries were serious.
"Not really, but they'll tell you that," Thompson replied.
LAPD officer Robert Rodriguez arrived and recanted the following conversation with Thompson:
"I passed them up and stopped in front of them to teach them a lesson," Thompson said, according to Rodriguez. "I'm tired of them. I've lived here for years. and they always ride like this."
"The statement was so shocking . . . that it just burned into my brain," he testified.
From the article Dr. Thompson is found guilty of all counts in LA road rage trial on VeloNews he
was found guilty of six felonies and one misdemeanor and could face as much as five years in prison.
For what he did, he got what he deserved. It was assault and it had very real consequences.
