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Helmet Attack: Western Mass Man Gets Up To 6-1/2 Years For Beating Driver Nearly To Death

A Hampden County man convicted of beating a driver so severely that he ended up in the hospital in critical condition will spend at least five years behind bars, authorities announced on Thursday, March 30. 

A Hampden County jury found Juan Rodriguez-Menier armed assault with a dangerous weapon resulting in serious bodily injury in February.

A Hampden County jury found Juan Rodriguez-Menier armed assault with a dangerous weapon resulting in serious bodily injury in February.

Photo Credit: Hampden District Attorney

Juan Rodriguez-Menier, of Holyoke, was found guilty on two counts of armed assault with a dangerous weapon resulting in serious bodily injury last month in the July 2021 attack, the Hampden County District Attorney's Office said. A judge on Wednesday sentenced Rodriguez-Menier to five to six-and-a-half years in prison. 

Rodriguez-Menier was accused of attacking a motorist at "the X" at Sumner and Belmont avenues in the Forest Park neighborhood of Springfield. Police said a group of dirt bike riders cut off the driver, which caused a slight collision between one of the bikes and the car. 

No one was injured, but it sparked a shouting match that escalated to Rodriguez-Menier removing his helmet and beating the driver with it, prosecutors said. The then 38-year-old driver was rushed to the hospital in critical condition and nearly died from his wounds, police said.

He still suffers "significant, life-altering adverse effects as a result of the beating," the prosecutor's office said in a news release. 

Prosecutors requested Rodriguez-Menier receive a 12 to 15-year sentence for the vicious attack.  

Rodriguez-Menier's legal troubles aren't over, however. He has a pending firearms case, the district attorney's office said. He'll return to court in June.

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