Man Gets 1 Year in Jail for Hit-Run Accident
An area man who fled from an auto accident that hurt two people in North Hollywood was sentenced to a year in jail, the Los Angeles city attorney’s office said Monday.
Anibal Chavez, 44, was sentenced 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.
During the two-day trial, Chavez argued that his 1980 Oldsmobile Royale had been stolen before it plowed into a 1994 GMC truck at the intersection of Cahuenga Boulevard and Camarillo Street at 2:10 a.m. on June 22, Deputy City Atty. Michael Nagle said. But officers from Los Angeles and Burbank testified there was no evidence that the defendant’s vehicle had been stolen. Witnesses identified him as the driver.
Under questioning, Chavez admitted to drinking six to eight beers the night of the accident, Nagle said.
Authorities were able to link Chavez to the crime after finding his front license plate at the accident scene.
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