Potts indicted in road rage death

An Oceanside man was indicted this week for his role in a road rage incident that resulted in the death of a Long Beach resident last year, a heated altercation that followed a high-speed car chase through the city.

Evan Potts, 23, was arraigned on Tuesday in Nassau County Court, where he pleaded not guilty to charges of second-degree manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide. On May 15, 2009, Potts allegedly ran over and killed 34-year-old engineer Ian Sharrin. If convicted, he could serve five to 15 years in prison.

For nearly two miles, police said, Potts and Sharrin were driving aggressively near each other on West Park Avenue in Long Beach. Then Potts, who was at the wheel of a black 2008 Nissan Altima, abruptly turned south on National Boulevard, made a U-turn and headed back toward West Park. Sharrin, police said, ran a red light in his yellow 1978 Porsche on West Park in order to block Potts's car.

Witnesses said that an irate Sharrin got out of his vehicle, walked in front of the Nissan, pounded on the hood of the car and screamed profanities at Potts. At that point, police said, Potts attempted to back up, but when he was blocked by a car, he accelerated forward, knocked Sharrin to the ground and ran him over. Potts then headed south on National Boulevard, but only made it a block before he was pulled from his vehicle by two pedestrians who had witnessed the incident. He was arrested by Long Beach police and charged with manslaughter.

The case went to a grand jury earlier this year. The courtroom was packed with supporters of both Sharrin and Potts on Tuesday, where they heard the grand jury's additional charge of criminally negligent homicide.

After the arraignment, Potts's attorney, Stanley Kopilow, criticized what he said was a 13-month delay in the indictment, and said that the district attorney does not understand that Potts was running for his life when he was confronted by Sharrin. He said his client feared for his safety during the ordeal and that he called 911. Kopilow described Sharrin as an aggressive driver who couldn't control his rage and a "raving lunatic." "He chased Evan Potts down for more than two miles," Kopilow said.