Brentwood man charged in case of alleged road rage against cyclists
Christopher Thomas Thompson faces six felony counts in connection with an incident on Mandeville Canyon Road in which two bicyclists were injured.
A Brentwood man who allegedly stopped his car suddenly in front of two cyclists, causing one to crash through the rear window, was charged today with felony reckless driving, the Los Angeles County district attorney's office said.
Christopher Thomas Thompson, who turned 59 today, is charged with two felony counts each of reckless driving causing injury, battery with serious bodily injury and the special allegation of causing great bodily injury, the district attorney's office said.
Thompson allegedly slammed on the brakes of his red Infiniti sedan in front of two cyclists riding downhill on Mandeville Canyon Road. Police said the impact flung one cyclist through the car's rear window and the other to the pavement.
The two cyclists were among about 300 cyclists who gathered for a holiday ride on the narrow, 5-mile route.
Thompson has denied wrongdoing and said he has never been involved in a road rage incident.
"It is a very unfortunate accident," attorney Peter Swarth said of his client, a former emergency room physician, this week. "Dr. Thompson hopes for the injured cyclists' recovery."
Cyclist Ron Peterson, 40, whose head crashed through the car window, suffered broken teeth, a broken nose and serious cuts on his face.
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 an injured 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.
Peterson said after the accident that Thompson had "yelled out some profanity and 'Ride single file!' " Peterson said he then screamed an expletive at Thompson, who veered directly in front of the riders and "slammed on his brakes as hard as he could."
Los Angeles City Councilman Bill Rosendahl, who represents the area, said he had called a meeting for residents, cyclists, traffic engineers and police to discuss the issues and to reinforce the idea that "cyclists have the right to travel safely and free of fear."
Thompson lives on Mandeville Canyon Road and is an owner of a medical documentation company in Woodland Hills. He was released on $30,000 bail.
Thompson is scheduled to be arraigned Aug. 1 at the LAX branch of Los Angeles County Superior Court. If convicted on all counts, he would face up to seven years eight months in state prison.
joanna.lin@latimes.com
