The Potts family says the claim by police that this is road rage is absolutely false, saying there's a new witness who will testify that the only person with road rage was the man who died in the incident. The Potts say that man chased down their son for a mile and a half.
"He's very depressed, very sad," mother Amy Potts said.
She believes her son didn't want a fight, that he just wanted to get away from a road rage incident that resulted in him running over Ian Sharinn last Friday.
"He goes to Queens College," she said. "His final week is this week. He's very depressed. All his books are inside the car."
Cops arrested Potts following a bloody scene on National Boulevard in Long Beach. Police say Potts ran over Sharrin with the Nissan Altima he was driving. But the defense says a new witness interviewed by police Monday night will testify that Potts didn't intentionally or recklessly kill Sharrin, but that he was trying to flee from a "raging lunatic" in fear of his life.
"The witness heard a sound, and there is a footprint on Evan's driver's car door," the family's attorney said. "There's no damage, but there is a footprint."
Prosecutors say the fight started a few minutes before, when Sharrin and Potts nearly crashed on Minnesota Avenue. Sharinn, driving a yellow Porsche, allgedly got angry about the mishap and trailed Potts through the streets. The defense alleges Sharinn blocked him off and ran over to his car.
"This was Ian Sharrin, wanted his pound of flesh," the attorney said. "He is 6-foot-5, 240 pounds. Evan is 5-foot-9, 140 pounds."
"My son is not a killer," father Ray Potts said. "He was running for his life."
Evan also made a 911 call that police will not release. Sources from the police department say he dropped the phone and it's mostly inaudible. The defense has not been allowed to hear it, but say the call will prove the suspect is really the victim in his call for help.
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WEB PRODUCED BY: Bill King
NEW YORK AND TRI-STATE AREA NEWS
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