Accused vehicular manslaughterer Chris Bucchere, who elicited all kinds of hate last March when he plowed through a busy intersection on his bicycle, knocked down an elderly pedestrian who ultimately died, and took to the internet to admit that he was "way too committed to stop" and that he'd "laid it down and just plowed through the crowded crosswalk," is in court this week for a preliminary hearing. And needless to say, the eyewitness testimony was pretty damning, and the judge has ruled that he will face a manslaughter charge.

One witness, Wen-Chih Yu, watched the accident from a few feet away, and said Bucchere "was going incredibly fast." Another witness, Nathan Pollak, was in a car on Castro heading the same direction as Bucchere and watched him blow several red lights before he came to the incredibly busy intersection of Market and Castro, where he had to go down a steep hill. Pollak says his "jaw dropped" as he watched Bucchere crouch down in order to accelerate through the intersection, and plow into the crosswalk just as the Walk signal began.

Bucchere's attorney has already made an attempt to blame the victim, saying that people including the dead man, 71-year-old Sutchi Hui, had already entered the crosswalk before the Walk signal flashed on, which "severely limited Chris' ability to avoid the accident." You know what else severely limited that asshole's ability to avoid accident? His own arrogance and an aggressive bicyclist's trademark flouting of basic traffic laws.

Also, there is surveillance video showing the whole accident.

Superior Court Judge Andrew Cheng ruled this morning that there is enough evidence to try Bucchere for manslaughter. The Mercury News reports that Bucchere wept several times during the proceedings today.

You may recall that another vehicular manslaughter case, that of 23-year-old Randolph Ang, ended with a lesser sentence of probation and community service, for the 2011 death of 68-year-old tourist Dionette 'Didi' Cherney.

[Mercury-News]
[Examiner]
[Appeal]

Previously: Cyclist Who Struck Pedestrian At Castro: "I Just Plowed Through The Crowded Crosswalk"
Elderly Pedestrian Struck By Cyclist At Castro And Market