A North Hollywood man pleaded not guilty Tuesday to felony charges of assault and a hit-and-run causing injury related to an Oct. 18 incident outside Las Orginales in Newhall.
The L.A. County District Attorney’s Office filed a Jan. 20 complaint against Aric Kalisi, 36, after he was arrested by Sheriff’s Department deputies on Dec. 22.
Kalisi stands accused of running over his friend’s fiance in the restaurant’s parking lot, leaving him with a fractured leg, after a violent outburst over his share of the bill. Court records obtained by The Signal state Kalisi also is suspected of having thrown a margarita glass at the victim inside the restaurant, before leaving and having another confrontation with the victim outside.
In addition to the felony charges, prosecutors alleged Kalisi caused severe bodily injury to his victim, who is expected to require multiple surgeries to fix his broken leg and dislocated kneecap, according to court records.
On Tuesday, Judge Patrick Hare called the matter for arraignment that led to Kalisi’s plea. Hare allowed the appointment of new counsel for Kalisi, following a conflict-of-interest claim he had with his first public defender, which was not stated on the record.
Hare accepted the plea and then allowed Kalisi’s release on bond, if the following conditions are met: Kalisi must stay away from Las Originales Mexican Bar & Grill; and there’s a no-contact order with the alleged victim, according to the minute order from his arraignment.
Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station detectives investigated the claims and recommended the felony charges to the DA’s Office after investigating witness accounts and watching surveillance footage of the incident, according to court records.
A search warrant seeking evidence from Kalisi’s phone details the suspect and victim’s alleged confrontation, after the victim followed the suspect out to his car to speak to him, according to the detective who reviewed the footage:
“The arrestee then put the vehicle in reverse and began to back out of the parking stall.
As the arrestee backed out of the parking stall with his vehicle facing west (toward the exit), the victim stood in place and raised his right hand to show the arrestee he was holding what appeared to be a cell phone,” according to the detective’s summary. “The arrestee then put the vehicle in ‘drive’ and drove forward towards the victim and hit him with the vehicle. I observed the arrestees’ vehicle continued driving after he struck the victim.”
The detective also reported that the footage shows the victim trying to get out from under the suspect’s Jeep Cherokee.