LOS ANGELES, Jan. 8 (UPI) -- A judge in Los Angeles Friday sentenced a doctor to five years in prison for intentionally hurting two bicyclists with his car.
More than 270 cyclists from across the country had sent letters and e-mails to a Los Angeles County court urging a lengthy sentence for Dr. Christopher Thompson, who was convicted of injuring two cyclists with his luxury car on a winding road in an exclusive area of Los Angeles.
Authorities said Thompson, 60, stopped his car on purpose while bicyclists were behind him, causing one cyclist to crash into the car and another to slam into a sidewalk. One bicyclist suffered a separated shoulder and the other broke his nose and front teeth in the July 4, 2008, incident.
Thompson testified during his trial he was irate at some bicyclists for the way they rode and said he stopped to take photos of the cyclists after they swore at him.
Prosecutors had recommended Thompson be sent to prison for eight years in prison for mayhem, assault with a deadly weapon and other crimes.
"I would like to apologize deeply, profoundly from the bottom of my heart," Thompson said during Friday's sentencing, the Times said.
As he pronounced the five-year sentence, Superior Court Judge Scott T. Millington said Thompson had not demonstrated sufficient remorse during the trial, the newspaper said.
