Most liked posts in thread: Police: Mini Cooper Was Road Rage Weapon

  1. YesIFit

    YesIFit New Member

    May 25, 2009
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    Hope it was a R56, what with it's new fangled pedestrian-impact friendly design and all.

    <grumble ... stupid EU ... grumble>
     
  2. Justa Jim

    Justa Jim Well-Known Member
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    Odd, in NH there seems to be a difference in assault charges depending on the age of the victum. Now you young folks had better stop making fun of us old folks, or you could be looiking at "verball assualt on a person over 65. :Thumbsup:

    Jim
     
  3. goaljnky

    goaljnky New Member

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    And my wife accuses me of driving angry... :confused5:
     
  4. Sideways

    Sideways New Member

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    If someone drove up behind me and started waiving a baseball bat at me cursing obscenities the last thing I would do is pull over, get out of the vehicle and confront the guy...he was obviously unstable to begin with:eek:ut:
     
  5. galoki

    galoki New Member

    Sep 8, 2009
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    what if the penalty is less severe? can you say open season? :eek::eek:
     
  6. BThayer23

    BThayer23 Well-Known Member

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    Not to be insensitive, but why didn't he just use the baseball bat? I mean, why did he wave it out the window in the first place if he's not going to use it? Sounds like he didn't really hit the guy that hard with the MINI. 3 times = minor injuries? No airbags deployed? Didn't the "victim" have enough sense to get back in the car after the first time? Sounds like the "victim" was running his mouth something fierce.

    Not that I'd ever condone hitting someone with a car, but there's clearly two sides to this one.
     
  7. galoki

    galoki New Member

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    on the Sewing SCAT site.... A guy posted this long sob story about how he was wrongly arrested for doing nothing wrong. Basically, was driving down the highway, unmarked PO-PO tries to pull him over, he books for an exit and parks in a school parking lot...actually backs into a spot. Needless to say the cop was irate and called in backup.

    I actually looked up his arrest records and listed about 10 things... namely resisting arrest and assault. Once i posted that...the thread misteriously disappeared.:ihih::ihih:
     
  8. Johngo

    Johngo New Member
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    The car weighed less and was a step down in firepower? :D
     
  9. Justa Jim

    Justa Jim Well-Known Member
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    Ah yes, the old "use of force continuum". Always use one less then move up as required. :Thumbsup:

    Jim
     
  10. lotsie

    lotsie Club Coordinator

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    This, S:prrr:S, takes less keystrokes:Thumbsup:

    Mark
     
  11. Nathan

    Nathan Founder

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    Judge releases road rage suspect with monitoring

    Judge orders suspect to anger management classes

    By Liz King Staff Writer Home EagleTribune.com, North Andover, MA

    NEWBURYPORT — Citing his clean driving record and no prior history with law enforcement, the attorney for the man accused of driving his Mini Cooper into a 69-year-old Lawrence man several times on Tuesday suggested the episode was an isolated incident and that his client is not a danger to society.

    At yesterday's dangerousness hearing in Newburyport District Court, Judge Peter Doyle found Neil Christopherson, 39, of 11 Tobacco Road, Derry, N.H., dangerous, but allowed his release, subject to wearing an electronic monitoring bracelet. He is due back in District Court on Friday.

    Christopherson was ordered not to drive, to begin attending anger management classes and to stay away from and have no contact with the victim or witnesses.

    Christopherson is charged with three counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon to a person over 65, one count of assault by means of a dangerous weapon (bat) on a person over 65, leaving the scene of a motor vehicle accident with personal injury and reckless operation of a motor vehicle.

    According to police, the incident started as Christopherson was driving east on Route 113 through West Newbury and began tailgating a 2007 Chevrolet Impala, driven by 69-year-old Joseph Toscano of Lawrence, who was driving below the 50-mph speed limit. Police say Christopherson began honking his horn and waving a black, metal baseball bat out of his window.

    Toscano pulled over on Storey Avenue to let him go by, and Christopherson pulled up behind him. Concerned for his wife's safety, Toscano got out of the vehicle, and a verbal altercation ensued, in which the suspect shouted expletives at the man.

    Police said Christopherson then got back in his black Mini Cooper, saying "I will show you" and began butting the man with his car, hitting him at least three times, before fleeing into traffic. Police apprehended him at the Dunkin Donuts at the Route 1 traffic circle.

    Arguing that Christopherson should be incarcerated while he awaits trial to ensure the safety of the community, the prosecution cited 10 examples of dangerousness displayed in the incident, including reckless driving before and after the attack, the waving of the baseball bat, the refusal to keep driving after Toscano pulled over, getting out of his car to get in the altercation, the use of extreme profanity, the lack of concern that the police were called, the intent in driving into Toscano to "show him something," the use of a bat to assault, the use of a vehicle to assault and assaulting someone 30 years older than he is.

    "I don't know of any indication that this wouldn't happen again," the prosecutor said. "Whatever the rage problem was is something that cannot be solved overnight."

    Defense attorney Nicole Reilly argued rather than looking at "one isolated incident which may never happen again," Doyle consider Christopherson's past — which includes no prior convictions, no driver's history in Massachusetts, and only one speeding ticket in New Hampshire for going less than 25 mph over the speed limit in 2006.

    "He's gone 39 years without any involvement with the law whatsoever," Reilly said.

    She stated that Christopherson is involved in the community, owns a barbershop in Haverhill, where "most of his customers are police," and that friends and acquaintances say the incident is "uncharacteristic" of the 39-year-old.

    Reilly also suggested that a possible scenario of the incident was that her client was trying to leave the scene, when the victim initiated the altercation by demanding Christopherson exit his car. She said her client may not have known Toscano was elderly because "he looks quite young" and is actually bigger in stature than Christopherson.

    Reilly suggested the "least restrictive" alternative to incarceration, as Christopherson would like to maintain his business and keep working to help put his 21-year-old daughter through college.

    Though his car is registered in New Hampshire and he gave a Derry, N.H. address, Christopherson has an apartment in Newburyport, and his parents live in the area, Reilly said, stating that electric monitoring could work, and they could ensure he didn't drive.

    Christopherson's parents were in the courtroom yesterday for his dangerousness hearing. Outside the courtroom, his mother, who flew back from Florida to attend the hearing, said her son has never been in trouble with the law and insists that Christopherson is not a danger to the public.

    When asked what could have prompted the incident, she suggested he "just had a bad day." She said Christopherson likes to play baseball, which is why he had a bat in his car.

    "He's a great kid — everyone loves him," his mother said. "No one can believe this happened."
     
  12. lotsie

    lotsie Club Coordinator

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    At 39:rolleyes:

    Mark
     
  13. Sideways

    Sideways New Member

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    Well clearly if the old guy driving the Impala Looked younger than he was and was physically Bigger then the accused his actions were justified...Clearly!!!
    I somehow think there is more to this story than what is being written...

    I by no means endorse using a car as a battering ram...however some people just deserve what they get...
     
  14. Metalman

    Metalman Well-Known Member
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    Still no reason to treat another human being that way, IMO.:frown2:
     
  15. Dr Obnxs

    Dr Obnxs New Member

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    The mom's quote

    about having a bad day reminded me of "I don't like Mondays!"....

    Matt
     
  16. Nathan

    Nathan Founder

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    Ahh...The Boomtown Rats...

    [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Er5uuCYi7q4]YouTube - I Don't Like Mondays[/ame]
     
  17. Alan

    Alan Active Member

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    No Rats without this one...



    [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2gkwVf4cHqM"]Up All Night[/ame]
     
  18. Jabbles

    Jabbles New Member

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    I can understand the frustration with someone driving below the speed limit, but even if I had a bad day I would never hit someone with my car.
    Not a fan of the apparent different assault charge depending on someone's age. Assault is assault especially if you are using a car as a weapon.
     
  19. Metalman

    Metalman Well-Known Member
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    I've even had people ride my bumper while I was driving at the posted speed limit. Hey, I figure if they were in such a big hurry, all they have to do is start the day ten minutes ahead of me. Problem solved!:D
     
  20. lotsie

    lotsie Club Coordinator

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    I often have battery operated tools in my car that can take over a small nation, but I would never consider using them, or a club(baseball bat in this case) on someone who was holding me up a few minutes.

    I'm sure the old guy was in this guys face, likely standing in front of his car, screaming at him, and buddy likely used his car to bump him out of the way, rather then trying to run him down. Even if this was the case, there is no excuse for hitting him with the car.

    Now it could be, as I'm sure will come out in court, that the old duffer was a real tough nut, and the MINI owner was fearing for his life. In which case hopefully he learned to either stay behind a slow driver, or pass them when safe, rather than going after someone with a bat.

    Mark