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Sentencing has been delayed in the controversial case of Louis Mraz, who was convicted last month for charges related to him running down a cyclist in his vehicle in Mt. Washington last year.
A judge has ordered Mraz to undergo a 90-day mental diagnostic period, reports Highland Park Patch.
Although the jury acquitted Mraz for one count of hit and run, he was convicted of "one count of assault with a deadly weapon and one count of violating section 240 of the California Penal Code, which is defined as 'an unlawful attempt, coupled with a present ability, to commit a violent injury on the person of another.'"
Here's what happened: On the afternoon of May 28th, Winona Wacker was riding her bike north on Avenue 50 Mraz was also on the street, behind the wheel of his convertible 2011 Volvo, top down. Mraz "began honking his horn and yelling for Wacker to move out of his way," say the LAPD. They describe the rest of the incident:
Wacker continued to ride her bike when she heard the vehicle accelerate. Mraz then drove violently into the left side of Wacker’s bike causing her to fall and tumble to the pavement. Mraz then left the area, leaving Wacker with numerous cuts and abrasions.
A witness says they saw Mraz deliberately run into Wacker, and that the driver had enough room on the street to pass safely. It was the witness who followed Mraz from a distance who was able to get the Volvo's license plate information to the authorities.
Mraz was not arrested until July, and his story differed; he claimed Wacker blocked him from passing on the street.
As it turned out, Mraz's encounter with Wacker was not his first road rage incident, or his first run in with the law.
Now the judge is hoping the mental diagnostic report can help guide an appropriate sentence for his crimes.