Los Alamitos man sentenced for attacking a man after a road rage pursuit

Orange County District Attorney  Press Release

For Immediate Release, Case # 11WF2614: September 30, 2013

MAN SENTENCED FOR ASSAULTING VICTIM FOLLOWING ROAD RAGE PURSUIT AND CRASH

WESTMINSTER – A man was sentenced Friday for assaulting a victim following a road rage pursuit. Robert Allen Barnhart, 54, Bellflower, was found guilty by a jury July 25, 2013, of two felony counts of assault with a deadly weapon and one misdemeanor count of battery. He was sentenced Friday, Sept. 27, 2013, to 180 days in jail, 185 days in jail stayed pending completion of five years formal probation, lifetime license revocation, and ordered to attend 22 weeks of anger management classes.

At approximately 10:50 a.m. on Nov. 5, 2011, Barnhart was driving his Dodge Ram truck on Bloomfield Avenue in Los Alamitos when he was rear-ended by 18-year-old John Doe at a red traffic light. Barnhart got out of his vehicle and confronted the victim by yelling and making threats at him. The victim returned to his vehicle and attempted to drive away.

Barnhart got back inside his truck, chased the victim, and sped up to get in front of John Doe’s vehicle. Barnhart purposely swerved, used the right rear bumper of his truck to hit the front of the victim’s driver-side bumper, and caused the victim’s vehicle to spin out into the opposite lane of traffic. The victim then attempted to drive away on the wrong side of the road.

Barnhart sped up and continued to chase the victim’s vehicle. Barnhart got in front of the victim’s vehicle and immediately swerved and hit the brakes, which caused John Doe’s vehicle to slam into the passenger side of the defendant’s truck and prevented the victim from driving.

Barnhart got out of his truck, opened the victim’s driver side door and pulled the victim out of the car, threw him to the ground, and punched the victim with his fists. Witnesses at the scene restrained the defendant and contacted the Los Alamitos Police Department, who arrested Barnhart at the scene.

Deputy District Attorney Kristin Bracic of the Felony Panel prosecuted this case.

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Tony Rackauckas, District Attorney 401 Civic Center Drive West Santa Ana, CA 92701

Contacts:

Susan Kang Schroeder Chief of Staff Office: 714-347-8408 Cell: 714-292-2718

Farrah Emami Spokesperson Office: 714-347-8405 Cell: 714-323-4486

Art Pedroza Editor

Our Editor, Art Pedroza, worked at the O.C. Register and the OC Weekly and studied journalism at CSUF and UCI. He has lived in Santa Ana for over 30 years and has served on several city and county commissions. When he is not writing or editing Pedroza specializes in risk control and occupational safety. He also teaches part time at Cerritos College and CSUF. Pedroza has an MBA from Keller University.

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