I’m disappointed I’m surprised at the outcome, but happy to see what looks like the start of justice.
Yeah, they’ll charge him as a juvie and he’ll get a slap on the wrist is my guess.
Unpopular take coming: I’m OK with him being charged as a juvenile…because he is. That doesn’t mean he shouldn’t be charged with felonies, but if it means juvenile prison and an expunged record upon release (assuming he serves time), so be it.
Not a fan of charging kids as adults due to the horrific nature of their offenses…if they are juveniles by law, then charge them as such.
(dons flame retardant suit and backs away 
)
I won’t argue. I get your point. But the other side is he’s 16. He’ll probably be 17 or 18 by the time it goes to trial. He knew what he was doing and it was premeditated. Even with all that, I have zero confidence he’ll go to jail at all.
But like I said…I get it.
I am not a fan either. Specially because the way is used to punish certain people more than others.
We all did mistakes when we were young (probably not this huge kind tho).
Is there minimum and maximum sentences for aggravated assault by juvenile in Texas?
It will be interesting what the outcome is. Wondering if his family is rich and he’ll have good representation or not. I remember this case " Texas teen Ethan Couch gets 10 years’ probation for driving drunk, killing 4". The “affluenza” defense. link
His family has some kind of connection to local politics in the area. My guess is that they are not hurting for money. Otherwise the kid would have been charged months ago.
I’ve heard rumor his father owns some business in the area and his mother is a real estate agent. That is only rumor though. If anyone wants to dig, BikeLaw named them.
My little google into the dad name lead me to believe his dad own some kind of livestock ranch in the area.
I get your point in general, but this was a premeditated act: the truck had to be modified so it could “roll coal” - so he, or whomever paid for the modifications, did it exactly so they could commit an act of violence against other people. Hitting cyclists might be an isolated act, but he intended to use his truck as a weapon. And if he previously “rolled coal”, then he previously used his truck as a weapon, so this isn’t an isolated act.
So as I said previously, I think he should be charged under terrorism statutes for using / attempting to use chemical weapons.
I think the person who modified the vehicle, either parents, or maybe the shop, should also be charged.
It is illegal to modify a diesel truck to do that.
this was recent
I would agree with that. And if his parents paid for the modification, then charge them with conspiracy to use / attempt to use chemical weapons.
This might seem extreme, but I believe this is the appropriate penalty in this case (and similar).
I don’t think it is an unpopular take, at least it shouldn’t be. The US is quite alone when it comes to trying and sentencing many juveniles as adults, when we know that brain development needs about 25ish years to finish. And men take a bit longer to mature on average than women. But I don’t think that should matter one way or another what he is tried for. The only thing I’d add is that the freedom to charge suspects as an adult or as a juvenile leads to very unequal treatment. A kid from a well-to-do family with a good lawyer has much better chances at being treated according to their mental maturity.
Another thing is the involvement of parents: if they e. g. paid for the modification of the truck, they might be liable for that. It isn’t just illegal, but there is no reason to make the necessary modification but to be able to annoy and potentially endanger others on the road. I wouldn’t overcharge them, but IMHO they also have some responsibility here.
For me it should come down to did the person know right from wrong. Much like an insanity defense. It should be a case by case basis. Not just a blanket number.
That’s why in this case I’m for such harsh punishment. This wasn’t “unintended”. The car was intentionally altered to be used as a weapon. So from my perspective, this was a premeditated act. The only part that was “unintended” was directly colliding with cyclist. I’m sure running cyclists off the road, or scaring them was intended. So treat this case like what it is: a premeditated, intended act of violence using a chemical weapon + lethal weapon.
We do not have a justice system. We have a legal system…
Texas teen driver charged with assault on six bicyclists
So what ever happened? Was the kid found guilty?
I don’t think the trial has happened
I met one of the riders that was injured at a velodrome training course last March. We didn’t discuss the case, just that I was glad he was able to ride a bike again at all. He mentioned how severe his injuries and rehab had been and it was his first time back on the bike