Newnan man sentenced to 20 years for road rage assault on cyclist
Newnan man sentenced for road rage incident
A Newnan man has gone to prison for a road rage incident in which he rammed his pickup truck into a cyclist. A cycling group has praised the stiff penalty and hope it sends a message.
NEWNAN, Ga. - A Newnan man is going to prison for a road rage incident.
William Lacoste was found guilty of ramming his pickup truck into a cyclist in 2022.
The backstory:
In the police body cam video from that day, cyclist Michael Zinkann admitted to officers that he had exchanged words with William Lacoste as they traveled down Jackson Street in Newnan, but then the situation escalated, and the pickup truck struck him.
Body camera video shows Newnan Police Department officers responding to a vehicle striking a bike on July 17, 2022. (Supplied)
What we know:
In the police body cam video from that day, cyclist Michael Zinkann admitted to officers that he had exchanged words with William Lacoste as they traveled down Jackson Street in Newnan, but then the situation escalated, and the pickup truck struck him.
In the recently concluded trial in Coweta County Court, a doctor testified the cyclist had suffered a spinal injury, and Zinkann, in a letter to the court, said he remains terrified over the incident, now three years later.
The accident also destroyed his road bike worth several thousand dollars. A witness testified that after the accident, Lacoste gave the cyclist the middle finger and hovered over him yelling.
When the bystander went to separate Lacoste from the injured man, he said Lacoste chest-bumped him.
William Lacoste was convicted of aggravated assault and simple assault.
Body camera video shows Newnan Police Department officers responding to a vehicle striking a bike on July 17, 2022. (Supplied)
What's next:
The judge sentenced him to 20 years, of which he must serve 5, telling the court that he has seen no sign of remorse from the man.
What they're saying:
Bike groups are hailing the sentence as one of the toughest handed down in Georgia, and they hope it sends a message. Lacoste will also lose his driver’s license for the first three years of his probation and jail.
The Source: The details in this article are based on court proceedings and previous FOX 5 Atlanta reports. FOX 5's Doug Evans also spoke with Chris Doane of Bike Coweta for his reaction to the verdict.