Road rage costs 15 years

A Costa Mesa man was sentenced to 15 years in prison Monday for a road rage incident that left a father of three with permanent brain damage.

Morteza Bakhtiari, 27, expressed sorrow for his actions and asked for forgiveness during the trial, the Orange County District Attorney's Office said.

In April, he was convicted of attempted murder, two counts of assault with a deadly weapon, felony hit and run with injury, hit and run with property damage and falsely reporting a crime. After hearing emotional pleas from both sides, Superior Court Judge Francisco Briseno sentenced Bakhtiari to the maximum time for his crimes.

Paramedics were called when Bakhtiari's mother fainted after hearing the sentence, attorneys said.

"The jury heard all the evidence, made their decision and the judge handed down a sentence based on that decision," Deputy District Attorney Scott Simmons said. "That is what we have jury trials for."

On Jan. 19, John Royston, 43, a former assistant football coach at Santa Margarita High School, and several friends were standing in the parking lot outside the Opah restaurant in Aliso Viejo when Bakhtiari sped by.

The group yelled at Bakhtiari to slow down, and Royston tossed soda inside the car's open window, Simmons said. After that, Bakhtiari hit a Mercedes-Benz with his car. He turned his car around and in a moment of rage, steered his BMW toward Royston.

Bakhtiari then hit Royston, sending him flying over the hood of the BMW.

During the trial, one of the witnesses, who had been in the car with Bakhtiari, testified that Bakhtiari turned his car around and said, "They made me mess up my car, so I am going to mess them up," Simmons said.

The following day, Bakhtiari contacted Costa Mesa police and falsely reported that his car had been stolen, prosecutors said.

Royston spent months in a coma from his head injuries, and has sustained brain damage as a result of the collision.

"This was a tragedy for both families," Simmons said.