Calif. Lawyer, 73, Charged With Giving Man a Wild Ride on Mercedes Hood
A man who follows a strict lunchtime routine, California attorney Peter Stuart Buchanan reportedly didn’t deviate from it when he encountered an unusual construction situation on Dec. 27 as he was on his way back to work with his usual takeout meal.
The 73-year-old lawyer allegedly drove through a construction barrier in Mill Valley, forcing a worker to leap onto the hood of Buchanan’s Mercedes Benz to avoid being hit. Then, when the vehicle didn’t stop, David Ramsey had no choice but to try to hang on, reports the San Jose Mercury News.
“I just don’t know how this guy held on, I have no idea,” says witness Richard Williams, 52. Buchanan was driving his Mercedes at 40 or 45 mph, Williams says, as the worker clung to the hood with a shocked expression on his face.
Williams and other witnesses say they drove after Buchanan, eventually blocking his car so the worker had a chance to jump off the hood, according to the newspaper. But then Buchanan allegedly drove on, followed by witnesses. When police arrived, they say they found Buchanan sitting at his desk at his Mill Valley law office, eating his lunch.
“He said that there was a crazy guy on his hood and he told him to get off,” recounts Mary Ziegenbein, an officer with the Calif. Highway Patrol.
Released to an associate after the incident and ordered by police to get a state driving test, Buchanan was charged Wednesday with assault with a deadly weapon, reckless driving and hit-and-run driving. He is scheduled to be arraigned Feb. 10 in Marin Superior Court.
