A 15-year-old boy accused of throwing bricks at passing Portland bicyclists -- clobbering one in the face -- was sentenced Thursday to four years in prison, which most likely will be one of the state's juvenile lockups.

Robert Ryan Hudgens pleaded guilty to attempted second-degree assault for striking cyclist Adrian Richardson about 10:30 p.m. on April 19 near Northeast Seventh Avenue and Knott Street.

After the hearing, Richardson recounted the frightening attack. The 26-year-old said he was cycling home after meeting a friend when he saw someone throw something at him. The object tumbled under his bicycle.

“I thought, ‘What’s happening?’ And I looked, and that’s when I got hit in the face,” Richardson said.

The brick struck Richardson above and below his right eye, opening large gashes. Blood cascaded down his face. But Richardson -- full of adrenaline and fearful his unknown attacker or attackers might pursue him -- kept pedaling several blocks to Northeast Broadway.

“I immediately thought, ‘I got to get out of here,’” Richardson said, remembering how someone had once thrown an orange traffic cone at his girlfriend while she was cycling. That attacker had chased after her.

Once Richardson made it to Broadway, where there were people around and he felt safer, he stopped to call 911. Paramedics took him to a local hospital, where he received an MRI.

Richardson’s father, who also attended Thursday’s sentencing, recounted how he received a phone call late that night from his son. Michael Richardson said he arrived at the hospital to find his son’s face very swollen. If it weren’t for his son’s helmet, his son might have been in a coma, he said.

Two scars -- one above Adrian Richardson’s right eye and one below -- are still apparent nearly seven months later.

Police say Hudgens and a 15-year-old friend were throwing bricks at cyclists on the evening of April 19. One cyclist, Jonathan Garris, 52 of Northeast Portland, reported getting hit in the leg. A 27-year-old cyclist also said he was targeted, but not hit.

It’s unclear who struck Garris. But Hudgens was charged with striking Richardson. His friend apparently missed the cyclists, so instead of being prosecuted for a Measure 11 felony in adult court as Hudgens was, the friend was charged with a misdemeanor and allowed into juvenile court.

During the sentencing hearing in Multnomah County Circuit Court, Hudgens declined to make a statement. But his defense attorney, Ronnee Kliewer, said her client was nervous and very apologetic for hurting Richardson.

“Despite what you see in these charges, in every interaction I’ve ever had with Robert, he has been polite, thoughtful, respectful. He shows up when he is supposed to,” Kliewer said. “He is exceedingly bright. He has tested into Talented and Gifted. He has a very high IQ. And this is a young man who should be headed to college.”

But Kliewer said Hudgens had some trauma in his life and chaos in his family “early on.”

His mother, grandmother and younger sister attended the hearing. So did a volunteer who has mentored Hudgens for years through the Big Brothers Big Sisters program.

Multnomah County Circuit Judge Michael Greenlick

“He has so much potential,” Kliewer said. “He obviously has some things he has to address or he wouldn’t be here.”

Richardson's dad, Michael Richardson, stood up to tell Hudgens that the teenager is still young enough to change and do good with his life. Michael Richardson told Judge Michael Greenlick that he had expected to see a hardened young man, but Hudgens -- tall, gangly and fresh faced -- didn't fit that image.

“It really breaks my heart to see this kid,” Michael Richardson told the judge.

Adrian Richardson also stood up to tell the judge that he had mixed feelings about the four-year prison sentence. But he was OK with it and he hoped Hudgens would be able to turn his life around.

The judge said he had seen many teens go to Oregon's youth correctional facilities and get an education, job skills and on the right path. He urged Hudgens to take advantage of the time.

After the hearing was over, Richardson stepped into the hall and noted that Thursday was the first time he’d gotten a good look at his attacker.

“He seems like a good kid, just a little cocky,” Richardson said. “Maybe he thought he could get away with it. It was pretty, pretty dumb."

-- Aimee Green