Doctor accused of injuring cyclists pleads not guilty

Southern California has been the site of several noteworthy hate crimes and acts of official repression against bicyclists in the past few years, and the trend continues.

Last year, a physician zooming down a road in his luxury Infiniti sedan reportedly slammed on his brakes in front of several bicyclists. Police reports say it was intentional and that he boasted of his intent to "teach them a lesson." (This information is from the usually blackballed L.A. Times.)

This action flung one of the cyclists through the car's window. Another fell to the pavement.

Sounds like the only person who needed to be taught a lesson was the so-called doc. Bikes are legally entitled to use the same roads as cars. (Exception: most freeways. But this was not a freeway.) He also has a lot to learn about being a doctor, as doctors are not supposed to cause harm. (Read the Hippocratic Oath.)

Now the 59-year-old has pleaded not guilty to an assortment of charges: felony reckless driving, battery with serious injury, causing serious injury while attempting to commit a felony, and mayhem. It turns out he also faces a misdemeanor charge of reckless driving causing injury in an earlier confrontation with another cyclist. (He reportedly ran a cyclist off the road on purpose. It's also been reported that he has regularly pulled out of his own driveway just to taunt cyclists.)

If guilty, they need to throw the book at him. This man sounds like a menace to the community who has a sense of entitlement and shows no remorse whatsoever for intentionally injuring other travelers.

I don't expect him to face serious punishment though. Only the very naive truly believe postdemocratic America doesn't have two separate "justice" systems: one for the well-off, and one for the not-so-well-off. We've seen this dual system played out again and again - especially with regard to other wealthy bullies who have violently confronted cyclists.

Sounds like that community is crying out for a Commuter Clot.

(Source: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2009/01/a-brentwood-phy.html)