Local News in Brief : Cyclist Who Hit Officer Sentenced to 3 Years
A Topanga Canyon man was sentenced Friday to three years in state prison for driving his speeding motorcycle into a California Highway Patrol officer, seriously injuring him.
Keith Vitalli, 28, pleaded guilty last month to felony hit-and-run as part of a plea bargain with prosecutors in which an assault with a deadly weapon charge was dismissed at sentencing by Superior Court Judge Robert W. Thomas.
The district attorney’s office said the incident occurred April 22 as CHP Officer George Rice was making a traffic stop on Las Virgenes Canyon Road about 800 feet north of a tunnel.
Rice heard a sound coming from the tunnel and spotted Vitalli passing a truck at a high rate of speed on his motorcycle. Rice then stepped into the roadway and tried to flag down Vitalli, but the motorcyclist drove into the officer and sped off.
Rice suffered serious injuries to one leg. Vitalli was arrested later.
Prosecutors said the incident was witnessed by 23 children aboard a school bus.
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