In the wake of Simone Wilson's excellent LA Weekly coverage of the city's hit-and-run crisis, including the revelation that nearly half of all vehicle collisions in town involve people who flee the scene, an L.A.-based state lawmaker wants to do something about it.
State Assemblyman Mike Gatto... says he'll propose closing a loophole that allows hit-and-run suspects to avoid prosecution after three years. You see, ...
... under current law, the window for prosecuting a hit-and-run suspect runs out three years after the date of the incident, Gatto spokesman Justin Hager explained to us...Courtesy Marie Hardwick X-ray image from a hit-and-run victim in L.A....Under language Gatto's office is working on, people could be prosecuted based on the time they are actually identified as suspects, giving authorities a fresh, three-year clock for possible prosecution...
...Gatto said he identified with our follow-up story about how bicyclist Don Ward was struck by a hit-and-run driver in Echo Park in 2009 and lived to hunt down the suspect.
The bicyclist that got hit -- that's the route I take home. You put yourself in that person's shoes.
[@dennisjromero / djromero@laweekly.com / @LAWeeklyNews]
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You can read the entire article and more at LA Weekly by clicking HERE
Mike Gatto is the Chairman of the Appropriations Committee of the California State Assembly. He represents the cities of Burbank, Glendale, La Canada-Flintridge, La Crescenta, Montrose, the Los Angeles neighborhoods of Los Feliz, Silver Lake, Atwater Village, and portions of the Hollywood Hills and East Hollywood. www.asm.ca.gov/gatto
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