An accountant accused of mowing down an ER doctor before stabbing him to death has appeared in court charged with his murder.
Vanroy Evan Smith, 39, appeared in Orange County Central Court charged with the murder of Dr Michael Mammone, 58, on Wednesday.
Dr Mammone had been cycling along the Pacific Coast Highway in California when he was run over by a white Lexus which sped through a red light at an intersection.
Smith is accused of running over the married father-of-two before getting out and stabbing him and has been remanded into custody with $1 million bail.
He appeared in court shackled to several deputies and only spoke to confirm his name and date of birth.
Accountant Vanroy Evan Smith, 39, appeared in Orange County Central Court charged with the murder of Dr Michael Mammone, 58, on Wednesday
Dr Michael Mammone, 58, was cycling on the Pacific Coast Highway when he was run over by a white Lexus on Wednesday
The alleged killer was also charged with the personal use of a deadly weapon and will appear in court on February 14.
Witnesses say he was holding a BB gun when he approached Dr Mammone, a married father-of-two, 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.
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.
His wife Julie told DailyMail.com that it was a ‘really difficult time’ for the family after the tragic incident.
Dr Mammone leaves behind his wife Julie, pictured with Mike, a nurse in the same hospital, and two sons, Nick and Jon
Footage showed Mammone’s mangled mountain bike and the shattered windshield and damaged front of the car
The intersection on PCH in Dana Point, California, where Dr Michael Mammone, 58, was knocked from his bike and fatally stabbed on Wednesday
The intersection on PCH in Dana Point where accountant Vanroy Evan Smith, 39 was arrested on suspicion of murder for allegedly striking and stabbing bicyclist Dr Michael Mammone, 58, as he cycled along Pacific Coast Highway in Dana Point, California
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, remains in custody at the Intake Release Centre in Orange County.
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.
His wife Julie told DailyMail.com that it was a ‘really difficult time’ for the family after the tragic incident
Dr Mammones destroyed bike can be seen at the corner of the intersection after it was thrown into the air
Aerial footage shows where the white Lexus careered into the cyclist and remained parked up a few hundred yards away
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.’
He leaves behind his wife Julie, a nurse in the same hospital, and two sons, Nick and Jon.
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 appeared in court shackled to several deputies and only spoke to confirm his name and date of birth
Shocking video shows the moment Smith, a trained accountant, careered into the cyclist, with police claiming that the pair were complete strangers
Despite witnesses claiming they saw a gun of some kind, officials have not confirmed if any firearms were recovered from the scene
‘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.