Teacher Accused Of Running Down Cyclists In Midtown Sacramento Appears In Court
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — A Yolo County teacher accused of using his car to run down three cyclists in Midtown Sacramento appeared in court on Tuesday.
Wesley Tran is facing felony charges of DUI, assault with a deadly weapon and a hit-and-run causing injury.
Dressed in an orange jumpsuit, the 31-year-old faced a judge on charges he allegedly intentionally hit a bicyclist with his car in Midtown, then hit two others as he drove off.
Video from the scene on Saturday night shows his car windshield smashed in.
Police say Tran had been drinking that night.
One bicyclist suffered head injuries and was taken to the hospital. Two other cyclists walked away with minor injuries.
Tran's attorney Linda Parisi spoke to reporters afterward.
"Given the information I received theres certainly a lot more to this situation than it appears," she said. "I don't believe any of that that occurred was done on purpose, I think it was a situation that unfolded."
CBS13 spoke to Tran on Sunday at the Sacramento County Jail where he said the bicyclist slashed his tires and harassed him earlier in the night, which he says then escalated.
"I don't know that that necessarily is motive," his attorney said. "It certainly is a reason for someone to be alarmed and concerned about their own safety."
Executive director of the Sacramento Area Bicycle Advocates Jim Brown disagrees.
"I don't buy that. I think he used a 3,000-pound vehicle to try and injure somebody and that's completely unacceptable in our society and we got to say no to that," he said.
Brown says the incident has the local bike community shaken up.
"Everybody is thinking about whether they are going to encounter a driver who does that, so it's always in the back of your head that could happen," he said.
Sacramento Police say they are still looking into whether the cyclist could face misdemeanor vandalism charges.
Tran will be back in court on June 24.