A bicyclist who pleaded guilty to felony vehicular manslaughter after striking and killing a pedestrian in San Francisco’s Castro District last year is set to be sentenced in court Thursday, prosecutors said.
Chris Bucchere, 37, agreed to a plea deal last month that will include a sentence of three years’ probation and 1,000 hours of community service.
On the morning of March 29, 2012, Bucchere was riding down Castro Street and crossed Market Street when he ran a stop sign and multiple red lights before striking 71-year-old Sutchi Hui in the crosswalk, prosecutors said.
Hui was taken to a hospital where he died four days later.
District Attorney George Gascon plans to hold a news conference with Hui’s family on Thursday afternoon after Bucchere’s sentencing, which will take place at 1:30 p.m. at the Hall of Justice.
The felony conviction was the first of its kind in the nation, according to the district attorney’s office.
The case drew additional attention because of a post Bucchere wrote on an online cycling forum on the day of the collision.
In the post, Bucchere said he wanted to dedicate the story of the crash to his “late helmet” that was destroyed by the impact. The post prompted criticism from other forum members and was later taken off the site.
In a preliminary hearing in the case this past March, Bucchere’s defense attorney Ted Cassman argued that surveillance video of the collision showed that his client had entered the intersection of Castro and Market streets before the traffic light turned red.
However, a judge upheld the felony charge and the case was headed to trial before the guilty plea on July 18.
Dan McMenamin, Bay City News
