A Denver man was sentenced to a decade in jail on Monday in Douglas County District Court for a 2020 road rage assault on Interstate 25.
Alberto Mota, 42, took a plea deal in August, pleading guilty to vehicular assault, two counts of felony menacing, child abuse and four counts of reckless endangerment, according to court records.
The plea deal dropped additional charges of attempted first-degree murder, violating bail conditions, driving without a valid license and first-degree assault from Mota’s case, court records show.
Around 2 p.m. on Aug. 16, 2020, Colorado State Patrol troopers responded to a motorcycle crash on southbound I-25 in Douglas County. A group of motorcyclists were traveling together in the left lane when a black truck swerved into one of the bikes, causing it to crash.
“The defendant initially claimed the crash was an accident resulting from an unsafe lane change,” Douglas County Deputy District Attorney Keegan Doheny said in a Wednesday news release. “With no regard for the safety of others, video evidence showed Mr. Mota intentionally ramming his pickup truck into a motorcyclist after swerving in and out of traffic on the interstate.”
The motorcyclist who was hit told investigators that Mota started to chase the group of bikers when they passed Mota’s truck, according to the release.
Mota was charged with child abuse because his then-12-year-old daughter was also in the truck with him at the time of the crash, investigators said.
Related Articles
DIA car theft ringleader gets 20 years’ jail time
2 arrested for attempted murder in shooting that caused hours-long I-25 closure
Man arrested on suspicion of murder in fatal Denver shooting near City Park
Colorado needs a plan for when caseworkers investigating child abuse lie, ombudsman says
Motorcyclist killed in crash in Denver’s Ruby Hill neighborhood
At the time of the crash, Mota was out on bail for a second-degree assault charge stemming from a 2018 incident. He previously pleaded guilty to a separate misdemeanor menacing charge in 2013 and has multiple convictions for driving without a valid license dating as far back as 2001.
Sign up to get crime news sent straight to your inbox each day.