Norwegian gets prison term for wrong turn in Arizona

Lost man drove car into a crowded street festival.

WINSLOW, Ariz. — A Norwegian man who took a wrong turn onto a oneway street and drove through a street festival has been sentenced to more than seven years in prison.

John Kristoffer Larsgard, 33, was convicted of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and six other charges last month. Norway’s largest paper, VG, wrote about the trial in March, drawing international attention.

Larsgard’s lawyer said the case is a miscarriage of justice involving a confused driver. The county prosecutor said Larsgard turned his car into a weapon, hitting one woman and nearly running over several other people.

Larsgard and his mother, Liv Larsgard, of Oslo, were driving across the U.S. when they had car trouble in Winslow last September, The Arizona Republic reported. They left the car there, got a rental car in another town and returned to pick up their possessions.

When they arrived, musicians, vendors, food tents and people crowded the streets.

Faced with numerous street closures, they soon were lost, and everyone agrees John Larsgard turned onto a crowded one-way street headed the wrong way. What happened next is in dispute.

Liv Larsgard has said bystanders waved and screamed, but she could see the auto business where their belongings were stored, so they kept going. She got out and walked alongside the car, trying to explain why they just needed to go a little further.

“They became so angry, like we were trying to hurt someone,” she said.

In an interview from jail Thursday, John Larsgard said he had no idea he was on a one-way street. With the windows up and the radio on, he thought his mom was getting directions.

Liv Larsgard said they became fearful when angry people surround- ed the car at a lot next to the auto-body shop. John Larsgard put it into reverse and hit the gas pedal too hard, and the car jumped a curb.

Defense attorney Criss Candelaria said the rear of the car neared a food stand on the sidewalk, and “people went nuts.” John Larsgard said he didn’t know anything was wrong and pulled away.

Witnesses and Navajo County Attorney Brad Carlyon described an enraged motorist who screamed at pedestrians and drove as if aiming to hurt someone.

Carlyon said John Larsgard has a history of aggressive behavior that received police attention in Alabama, Illinois and California, including a case in which he was accused of running over a man’s bicycle in a fit of anger. None of those episodes led to a conviction.

Larsgard said he didn’t know he had almost backed into a food tent until he was informed of the charges days later. They originally included 36 counts, including attempted second-degree murder.