East Village 'Parking Space Rage' Suspect Indicted
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- The man accused of punching a Bronx woman over a parking space sat patiently Monday morning waiting for a grand jury to decide his fate.
Oscar Fuller, 35, was indicted on second degree assault charges in connection with the confrontation in the East Village that landed 25-year-old Lana Rosas in the hospital.
Oscar Fuller said Rosas hit first and hopes the surveillance cameras will show that, 1010 WINS' Juliet Papa reports
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Fuller explains the punch that put a woman in a coma to WCBS 880's Irene Cornell
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Two Fridays ago, at around 11 p.m., Fuller said he saw Rosas standing along East 14th Street apparently physically holding a parking space.
Fuller stepped out of his car to speak with her and then he said Rosas threw the first of several punches – striking him in the face.
Fuller is accused of punching the 4-foot-11, 100-pound woman. Police said Rosas fell and struck her head on the sidewalk. She remains in a coma.
Outside the courthouse Monday, Fuller, who is 5-7 and weighs 150, said, "I am very, very sorry with the situation that she's going through right now and I'm hoping for a speedy recovery."
According to a police report, Rosas' skull had to be opened to relieve pressure on her brain. Rosas might die, stay in a coma or have permanent brain damage.
Fuller insists this is a case of self-defense.
"Bang, bang, bang, bang, she's just hitting me, hitting me, and I'm like 'whoa, whoa,'" Fuller told CBS 2's Derricke Dennis in an exclusive interview. "So I hit the girl, jump back in my car and pull off."
"She hit first and as we know, carmeras are everywhere in New York City," he told CBS 2's John Slattery.
Attorney Thomas Kenniff said the case has spun out of control and that Fuller should be charged with a misdemeanor.
"Certainly I think justification is an issue in this case," Kenniff said.
"Nobody would think anything would happen, that it would go this far," Fuller said. "It crushed my whole family; it crushes my life as well."
Fuller remains free on bail. He is due back in court on April 7.
