An ER doctor was killed after being mown down by a Lexus and then stabbed to death by the driver in an apparent road rage incident.
Dr Michael Mammone, 58, was cycling on the Pacific Coast Highway, California, when he was run over by a white Lexus which sped through a red light at an intersection on Wednesday at around 3pm.
The driver of the vehicle, Vanroy Evan Smith, 39, then got out of his car and stabbed the cyclist multiple times in the back, with brave bystanders tackling him to the ground.
Witnesses say he was holding a BB gun when he approached Dr Mammone, and was screaming racial slurs about ‘white privilege’ , according to ABC7.
Shocking video shows the moment Smith, a trained accountant, careered into the cyclist, with police claiming that the pair were complete strangers.
Dr Michael Mammone, 58, was cycling on the Pacific Coast Highway when he was run over by a white Lexus on Wednesday
Aerial footage shows where the white Lexus careered into the cyclist and remained parked up a few hundred yards away
It shows the Lexus appearing to speed through the intersection and throwing the doctor and his bike up into the air.
Smith, who is described as a black man on his arrest records, can then be seen walking over to Dr Mammone and attacking him again before witnesses drag him away.
Orange County Sheriff’s Department said investigators were unaware of the slurs and added that there was ‘no known relationship or motive’ for the killing.
It is unclear if the doctor was traveling to or from work during the incident, with friends saying he regularly cycled to the hospital as he lived close by.
Authorities discovered the doctor lying in the intersection suffering from severe injuries, with police recovering a knife from the scene.
Despite witnesses claiming they saw a gun of some kind, officials have not confirmed if any firearms were recovered from the scene.
Sgt Michael Woodruff also praised the witnesses at the scene who detained Smith, calling their actions ‘brave and heroic’.
Smith, a father-of-two, was arrested and has been charged with murder and is set to appear in court later on Friday. He remains in custody at the Intake Release Centre in Orange County.
The driver of the vehicle, Vanroy Evan Smith, 39, then got out of his car and stabbed the cyclist multiple times in the back, with brave bystanders tackling him to the ground
Dr Mammones destroyed bike can be seen at the corner of the intersection after it was thrown into the air
Shocking video shows the moment Smith, a trained accountant, careered into the cyclist, with police claiming that the pair were complete strangers
Dr Mammone has worked as an ER physician at Providence Mission Hospital in Laguna Beach, since 2011 and graduated from the Keck School of Medicine of The University of Southern California in 1993.
He also occasionally worked out of Mission Viejo and the Children’s Hospital of Orange County in Santa Ana.
The hospital said in a statement: ‘We are stunned by this devastating tragedy. The entire Mission Hospital family is grieving over the loss of an incredible physician and friend.
‘We will honor Dr. Mammone’s dedication to our community and passion for medicine by continuing to provide exceptional care.’
Smith can then be seen walking over to Dr Mammone and attacking him again before he is dragged away by witnesses
Footage showed Mammone’s mangled mountain bike and the shattered windshield and damaged front of the car
The hospital said in a statement: ‘We are stunned by this devastating tragedy. The entire Mission Hospital family is grieving over the loss of an incredible physician and friend’
Smith was arrested and remains in custody at the Intake Release Centre in Orange County, and will appear in court later on Friday
Cardiologist Dawn Aatwal added: ‘That’s the irony of this whole thing. If a patient was brought in his condition, he would have done everything he could to save that person.
‘He has saved so many lives here, and he died very close to where he saved hundreds of lives,’ said cardiologist Doctor Dawn Aatwal.
Footage showed Mammone’s mangled mountain bike and the shattered windshield and damaged front of the car.
The Orange County DA’s Office said they are currently prosecuting close to 70 cases of vehicular death, with quite a few involving road rage, which seems to have risen since Covid restrictions were lifted and people returned to driving.
Anyone with information is urged to contact the Orange County Sheriff’s Department at 714-288-6740. You can remain anonymous by calling Orange County Crime Stoppers at 1-855-TIP-OCCS.
