VAN NUYS : Man Who Struck Doctor Gets 2 Years
A Canoga Park man was sentenced to two years in state prison Wednesday for breaking an emergency room doctor’s jaw after the physician gave the man’s girlfriend a rectal examination, Van Nuys Superior Court officials said.
Michael Tipton, 24, had faced up to four years in jail for the Aug. 28 attack on Dr. Edward Spitz at Humana Hospital-West Hills. Prosecutors said Tipton became enraged at Spitz after he learned that the doctor had performed a pelvic and rectal exam on his 20-year-old girlfriend, who was complaining of abdominal pain.
The procedure is routine and a nurse was present at all times, but Tipton’s girlfriend was upset nonetheless. Tipton reportedly entered the treatment area and became upset when he learned the details of the exam.
He then walked to the cubicle where Spitz was treating another patient and hit the doctor, who sustained a concussion when he fell to the floor. Spitz later underwent surgery for a broken jaw, which had to be wired shut for six weeks.
Tipton’s lawyers argued that he wanted only to slap the doctor’s face and that he did not intend to injure Spitz as severely as he did.
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