I'm not saying the guy in not a scumbag, and I don't know what he thought would happen. I'm just saying that intent is not aways as easy to prove as some might think. He may be the only one to know what his intent was and if he keeps his mouth shut, it may be hard to prove in court.
The car was moving and he probably was not an expert at throwing bricks at cars, so maybe he just wanted to hit the side of the car and missed? Just sayin'
I hope he rots forever, but that's not always the case.