From cop to courtroom: Bicycle crash shaped lawyer’s future

Attorney Anthony Knowles, left, readies paperwork for a pending trial. (Wrangler News photo)

By Joyce Coronel

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Anthony Knowles relaxes in his law office and thinks back to the day in 1988 when he nearly lost his life.

He was a law-school student as well as a fulltime police officer, off duty and riding his bike along a nearly deserted stretch of Ray Road.

“I was run over and almost killed,” Knowles said. The experience definitely influenced his future as a lawyer, he adds, noting that he now has “an affinity toward those types of cases.”

Knowles spent five years in law enforcement before attending Arizona State University. He graduated in 1998 and now practices personal injury law and criminal defense. Knowles said he always knew that at some point he would make the switch from law enforcement officer to officer of the court.

In some ways, the dye was cast early in life.

“In 10th grade, my English teacher told me I should be a lawyer because I was so argumentative,” Knowles said with a chuckle. “When I went to the police academy in Arizona, they used to call me defense lawyer because I always argued the devil’s advocate position on things.”

His early years were spent in upstate New York where he’d hoped to become a state trooper.

“At that time, you had to have perfect vision without glasses, so I unfortunately failed the vision test and could not meet the requirements,” Knowles said.

Ultimately, he became an officer with the Arizona Department of Public Safety. Having been in law enforcement, the two areas of law he now practices are directly related to those experiences as a cop. In defending those accused of crimes, the connection is obvious. With personal injury, the link is a bit more subtle.

Police officers are on the scene at motor vehicle accidents and they’re also responsible for investigating and writing the reports.

In his work as a criminal defense lawyer, Knowles said he’s had his share of high-profile cases. Remember the “Dynamite Bandit” episodes that grabbed local headlines a few years ago? The robber cut holes in the roof of banks.

Then, some chicanery:

“He was accused of lowering what appeared to be dynamite into banks when they were closed. In the morning when people came in, they saw a bunch of dynamite and shortly afterward get a call demanding money,” Knowles said.

Fake bombs or not, the defendant, Alan Farber, was sentenced to 10 years in prison.

“We ended up taking a plea offer. It was five different banks that he was charged with,” Knowles said.

In his personal injury cases, Knowles said he’s represented many accident victims, including one who was rear-ended on US 60 by a hit-and-run driver. His client suffered severe injuries, was unable to work and required extensive surgeries.

“The police eventually did catch the driver,” Knowles said, adding that the settlement he secured for his client was enough to pay medical bills and compensate for lost income as well as pain and suffering.

Knowles said he represents a number of clients who have been injured in car-versus-bicycle accidents.

“I have an understanding of what they go through since I went through it myself,” Knowles said.

“When you are on a bicycle, you’re very unprotected. In my case, the driver was reading a book while he was driving. There are a lot of distracted drivers out there.”

And while many attorneys prefer to settle cases out of court, Knowles isn’t one to back down from a fight, he said.

“We do a lot of trials. We are ready, willing and able to go to trial, and I’ve done quite a few.

“The insurance companies and/or the prosecutor’s office—they know the attorneys that actually do the trials, and I think that gives us an advantage.”

Knowles’ office is at 2852 S. Carriage Lane, just east of the Price/101 Freeway. Phone: 480-247-6366.

Joyce Coronel
Joyce Coronel
Joyce Coronel has been interviewing and writing stories since she was 12, and she’s got the scrapbooks to prove it. The mother of five grown sons and native of Arizona is passionate about local news and has been involved in media since 2002, coming aboard at Wrangler News in 2015. Joyce believes strongly that newspapers are a lifeline to an informed public and a means by which neighbors can build a sense of community—vitally important in today’s complex world.

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