Man Convicted in Hit-Run

A Burbank man who fled the scene of an auto accident that hurt two people in North Hollywood last June was sentenced to a year in jail, the Los Angeles city attorney’s office reported Monday.

Anibal Chavez, 44, was sentenced Friday by Van Nuys Municipal Judge Michael S. Mink after a jury found him guilty of three vehicle code violations, including hit-and-run causing injury, hit-and-run causing property damage and making a false statement to police.

The defendant, who was found to have violated his probation after a previous traffic conviction, also was ordered by the judge not to drive a car for two years and to attend 104 Alcoholics Anonymous meetings.

During the two-day trial, Chavez argued that his 1980 Oldsmobile Royale had been stolen before it plowed into a 1994 GMC truck at Cahuenga Boulevard and Camarillo Street at 2:10 a.m. June 22, according to Deputy City Atty. Michael Nagle.

But officers from the Los Angeles Police Department and Burbank testified that there was no evidence the defendant’s vehicle had been stolen, and witnesses identified him as the driver. Under questioning, Chavez even admitted to having drunk six to eight beers the night of the accident, Nagle said.

Two Sylmar men suffered head injuries in the collision, which destroyed their vehicle, officials said. Authorities were able to link Chavez to the crime after finding his front license plate at the accident scene.