Last Updated on March 29, 2017 by CCAR Staff
WALNUT >> A West Covina man received a 4-year prison sentence on Thursday for fatally striking a Walnut man while driving intoxicated, authorities said.
Haissam Massalkhy, 37, pleaded “no contest” in February to a count of vehicular manslaughter without gross negligence for the Feb. 15, 2016, collision at La Puente Road and Barnard Avenue that killed 59-year-old father of three Chi “Jason” Shao, according to Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office spokeswoman Sarah Ardalani and Los Angeles County Superior Court records.
An additional charge of murder was dismissed at his sentencing on Thursday, records show. Prosecutors initially alleged Massalkhy ran down Shao intentionally, though no possible motive was released. The men did not know one another prior to the incident, officials said.
A Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge handed down a sentence of four years in state prison when Massalkhy appeared in court on Friday.
Shao was jogging when he was struck from behind by Massalkhy’s Toyota Camry, according to Lt. Steve Jauch of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Homicide Bureau. Shao was carried on the hood of the car for several yards before the Camry crashed into a wall. Paramedics pronounced Shao dead at the scene.
Shao’s son, Jeff Shao, described his father as “friendly” and an “easy-going guy.”
His daughter, Cindy Shao, said his life centered around his family and his job at Cheertie Display Fixtures in El Monte. He had quit smoking and taken up jogging in an effort to live a long and healthful life.
If he had been convicted of murder, rather than vehicular manslaughter, Massalkhy could have faced more than 25 years to life in state prison.
Editor’s note: The story has been altered to reflect that the charge against Massalkhy was vehicular manslaughter without gross negligence.
