Cause of Denny’s Injuries Disputed : Trial: Doctor testifying for the defense says his review of the trucker’s medical records found no reference to a gash allegedly made by a brick thrown by a defendant.

A doctor testifying for the defense cast doubt Wednesday on whether a brick thrown at the head of trucker Reginald O. Denny caused his life-threatening injuries and disfigurement.

Leonard Prutsok, affiliated with several Orange County hospitals, said his review of Denny’s medical records did not turn up references to a gash at the spot on the trucker’s skull where a videotape shows the brick made impact.

Two of the most serious charges against Damian Monroe Williams--attempted murder and mayhem, which could bring life sentences--are predicated on the theory that he hurled the brick that crushed part of the trucker’s skull.

The defense contends that Denny’s worst injuries stem from a rock thrown at him before he stopped his truck at Florence and Normandie avenues. They argue that the identity of the person who threw the rock is unknown.

Williams, 20, and Henry Keith Watson, 29, face 12 charges in a series of attacks on Denny and seven others April 29, 1992.

Defense attorney Edi M.O. Faal had Prutsok point out on a large diagram of a head where the brick had landed. Prutsok placed the point of impact farther back on the skull than the prosecution, which said it had hit the temple area nearer the right eye.

“Did you see the brick land on the front portion (of the skull)?” Faal asked.

The witness said he did not.

Under cross-examination, Prutsok was asked if he saw any injury in the area where prosecutors say the brick landed. “I didn’t see any evidence of that,” he said.

But he conceded that the injuries could be consistent with a brick striking Denny’s head on its longer, flat side. If it did, Deputy Dist. Atty. Larry Morrison said, the area of damage would be wider and the brick might not have punctured the skin.

After the doctor concluded his testimony, Superior Court Judge John Ouderkirk said he would allow limited testimony by a UCLA professor on crowd dynamics during a riot.

Armando Torres Morales outlined riot theories dating back 118 years during his testimony Tuesday outside the jury’s presence.