A preliminary hearing setting was postponed Friday for a 19-year-old Long Beach man charged with felony hit-and-run in the near-killing of a prominent local attorney.
Joshua Gasser appeared briefly in the Long Beach Superior Court as his attorney, William Bruzzo, asked for a delay in the matter.
They are scheduled to return to the Long Beach Superior Court March 19.
Gasser and his parents declined comment Friday, but his lawyer said they were all saddened by what had happened to the victim, Lynda Vitale.
"We're very sorry," Bruzzo said. "It's a tragic case."
Gasser was arrested in mid-January after the victim's daughter, Athena Alfaro, spotted the 19-year-old driving a car that matched the description of one in the area when her mother was run down and left for dead.
The 60-year-old Vitale was walking her dog about 7:50 p.m. on Dec. 15 when she was hit as she crossed the intersection of 36th Street and Myrtle Avenue, police said.
Vitale - a highly respected defense attorney who helped launch the City Prosecutor's Domestic Violence Unit - had made it about halfway through the unmarked crosswalk when she was hit so suddenly and so violently that she "never even saw what hit her," police said.
Vitale's daughter was also at court Thursday and said her mother remains hospitalized and is frustrated with her slow recovery, but noted that Vitale is improving.
Vitale suffered extensive injuries - including lacerations on her face, two broken and dislocated shoulders, a fractured elbow, a fractured pelvis and a fractured leg. She underwent several surgeries following the incident and is expected to remain in the hospital for at least another two to three weeks.
Her neighbors never heard the crash or a screech of brakes, but they came running when they heard Vitale's screams and her dog's yelps.
Vitale's German shepherd, Maggie, suffered similar injuries, including a broken leg and fractured pelvis.
Maggie is also recovering and is even starting to use her badly hurt back leg, Alfaro said Friday.
Maggie was able to visit to Vitale in the hospital for Vitale's birthday, a reunion that both Vitale and Maggie thoroughly enjoyed, Alfaro added.
Vitale is highly regarded for her work as a defense attorney and as a prosecutor.
She worked many years as a public defender specializing in cases of women charged with attacking their spouses or boyfriends after years of abuse.
That led Vitale to get a job at the Long Beach City Prosecutor's Office, where she started its Domestic Violence Unit and prosecuted abusers.
She was working as a private practice defense attorney and served as a bar panel attorney, handling many local cases for local defendants unable to afford representation, at the time of the incident.
Gasser lives just a few doors down from Vitale with his parents. He allegedly told his father that he had been involved in a crash, but said nothing of Vitale or the hit-and-run, sources said.
The bumper had been changed on the car when police arrested Gasser and impounded the vehicle. There was still signs of damage to the car's front end, however, and evidence was recovered from the vehicle, police said.
Joshua Gasser appeared briefly in the Long Beach Superior Court as his attorney, William Bruzzo, asked for a delay in the matter.
They are scheduled to return to the Long Beach Superior Court March 19.
Gasser and his parents declined comment Friday, but his lawyer said they were all saddened by what had happened to the victim, Lynda Vitale.
"We're very sorry," Bruzzo said. "It's a tragic case."
Gasser was arrested in mid-January after the victim's daughter, Athena Alfaro, spotted the 19-year-old driving a car that matched the description of one in the area when her mother was run down and left for dead.
The 60-year-old Vitale was walking her dog about 7:50 p.m. on Dec. 15 when she was hit as she crossed the intersection of 36th Street and Myrtle Avenue, police said.
Vitale - a highly respected defense attorney who helped launch the City Prosecutor's Domestic Violence Unit - had made it about halfway through the unmarked crosswalk when she was hit so suddenly and so violently that she "never even saw what hit her," police said.
Vitale's daughter was also at court Thursday and said her mother remains hospitalized and is frustrated with her slow recovery, but noted that Vitale is improving.
Vitale suffered extensive injuries - including lacerations on her face, two broken and dislocated shoulders, a fractured elbow, a fractured pelvis and a fractured leg. She underwent several surgeries following the incident and is expected to remain in the hospital for at least another two to three weeks.
Her neighbors never heard the crash or a screech of brakes, but they came running when they heard Vitale's screams and her dog's yelps.
Vitale's German shepherd, Maggie, suffered similar injuries, including a broken leg and fractured pelvis.
Maggie is also recovering and is even starting to use her badly hurt back leg, Alfaro said Friday.
Maggie was able to visit to Vitale in the hospital for Vitale's birthday, a reunion that both Vitale and Maggie thoroughly enjoyed, Alfaro added.
Vitale is highly regarded for her work as a defense attorney and as a prosecutor.
She worked many years as a public defender specializing in cases of women charged with attacking their spouses or boyfriends after years of abuse.
That led Vitale to get a job at the Long Beach City Prosecutor's Office, where she started its Domestic Violence Unit and prosecuted abusers.
She was working as a private practice defense attorney and served as a bar panel attorney, handling many local cases for local defendants unable to afford representation, at the time of the incident.
Gasser lives just a few doors down from Vitale with his parents. He allegedly told his father that he had been involved in a crash, but said nothing of Vitale or the hit-and-run, sources said.
The bumper had been changed on the car when police arrested Gasser and impounded the vehicle. There was still signs of damage to the car's front end, however, and evidence was recovered from the vehicle, police said.
How do you run over someone that lives a few houses down from you and then drive off, lie to your parents and think you will get away with it by switching bumpers? Way to raise a winner mom and dad !!!!
thanks !! very helpful post!