A Los Angeles man was sentenced Thursday to nine years in state prison for driving drunk and killing a bicyclist in Highland Park.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Scott Gordon imposed the term on Alexis Virto, now 22, who pleaded no contest Oct. 5 to gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated for the death of Jose Luna.
The 33-year-old cyclist was struck about 3 a.m. June 26 while in a marked crosswalk in the 4000 block of North Figueroa Street.
Investigators believe that Virto was driving between 60 mph and 80 mph, and said the impact of the crash severed one of Luna’s legs. Virto drove away with the victim on the vehicle’s hood for about 200 yards and later abandoned the car, authorities said.
Police said Virto was still intoxicated at the time of his arrest several hours later. He was found sleeping on a bed with his girlfriend at a home about six blocks from the crash scene and had injuries consistent with the collision and windshield debris in his hair, according to investigators.
As a result of his plea, two DUI charges and a hit-and-run count against him were dismissed, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.
— City News Service