Hearing Witness Links Man to Acid Attack : Hearing: Emad Fawzi Kalta could get life in prison if convicted of blinding a Glendale woman.

A Hacienda Heights man charged with blinding a Glendale woman by throwing acid in her face was identified Friday by a witness as the assailant and linked to the attack by fingerprints found at the scene.

But another witness said he was unsure whether Emad Fawzi Kalta, 20, was the man who approached Shushan Eloyan last July on Adams Street in Glendale and threw acid in her face, blinding and disfiguring her.

The testimony came during a preliminary hearing in Glendale Municipal Court for Kalta, who was charged with aggravated mayhem, mayhem resulting in great bodily injury and assault with a caustic chemical. If convicted, Kalta could be sentenced to life in prison without possibility of parole.

Prosecutors have said the attack might have been an act of vengeance triggered by a dispute between members of the victim’s family. Kalta’s attorney, Henry Salcido, on Friday said he agreed with that theory. Salcido confirmed that Kalta knew Eloyan through his friendship with her stepbrother, but maintained that Kalta was not involved in the attack.

Ramon Navarrete of Glendale testified Friday that he saw Kalta approach Eloyan from behind on a sidewalk in the 100 block of Adams Street. Kalta asked Eloyan a question, and when she turned toward him he threw a jar of liquid in her face, Navarrete said.

A Glendale city fingerprint analyst testified that Kalta’s fingerprints matched prints on a jar found at the scene.

Earlier, Rafael Geborkian, who also was at the scene, said he walked past a man carrying a jar filled with liquid and heading toward Eloyan. But Geborkian, who did not see the actual attack, said he was uncertain whether the man was Kalta.

Eloyan has said that she recognized her assailant as a friend of her stepbrother. She said family relations have been strained since her mother and stepfather were divorced in 1988. A restraining order prohibiting the stepfather from contacting or visiting Eloyan or her mother was issued in Burbank Superior Court in May.

Two more witnesses are expected to testify Monday. Eloyan, 23, is not expected to testify or appear at the hearing. She is scheduled to undergo surgery later this summer that she hopes will restore her sight.