Auto Detailer to Stand Trial in Hit-Run Death

An automotive detailer was ordered Monday to stand trial on charges of felony hit-and-run driving after a witness to a May 23 accident identified him as the driver of a pickup that struck and killed a bicyclist.

Anthony David Fusco, 24, of San Diego will be arraigned in Superior Court on Sept. 8. He is also charged with misdemeanor manslaughter in the death of Carolyn McGregor, 34, who was bicycling with a friend when she was struck while crossing the intersection of Mt. Soledad Road and Beryl Street.

Kelly Grissom, the passenger in a vehicle driven by her boyfriend, testified during a short preliminary hearing that Fusco was the driver of a red Toyota pickup that ran a red light and struck McGregor.

Fusco examined the injured woman, then pulled the bicycle out from under the truck and drove away, Grissom testified.

“I was telling him to stop, pull over. What the hell are you doing?” she told defense attorney Richard Boesen.

“It’s obvious to all what happened here,” Municipal Judge Frank A. Brown said before ordering Fusco to stand trial.

Deputy Dist. Atty. David Greenberg introduced into evidence a notice from the Department of Motor Vehicles that shows Fusco’s license had been suspended Jan. 10, more than four months before the accident.

McGregor died from severe head injuries. She was not wearing a helmet.

The victim’s sister, Jean McGregor Johnson, said the family wants Fusco to serve time in jail “if that will make him truly stop and think about what he has done.”

Fusco has been free since posting a $25,000 bond.