Pianist and car-free advocate John Osnes left his favorite bar in Hollywood one night in mid-November.  He waived to the bartender and promised he would be back the next day.  However, instead he was savagely beaten and quite probably intentionally run over by a wanna-be Swedish rapper named David Moses Jassy, who is probably still smarting because his career highlight is being a backup singer for a track written for a High School Musical star’s solo album.  The Times has the details of this brutal attack.

According to authorities, Osnes, who did not own a car and was a
stickler for pedestrian rights, was crossing a street near his
residence when Jassy’s rented SUV drifted into the crosswalk. After
Osnes struck the front of the vehicle with his hands, Jassy allegedly
got out, punched Osnes, kicked him in the head when he stooped to
recover his glasses and then ran over him with the vehicle. Bystanders,
including an off-duty Anaheim police officer, witnessed the assault and
tried unsuccessfully to detain Jassy, according to authorities.

Osnes was pronounced dead at a hospital, and Jassy was arrested Monday
after investigators traced the license of his rented vehicle.

He
faces charges of assault, battery and leaving the scene of an accident,
but the district attorney’s office is mulling additional counts
depending on autopsy results and further investigation.

While the city appears to be taking this case seriously, bail was set at $1 million, I can’t understand why Jassey is not being charged with murder or manslaughter.  Leaving the scene of an accident?  If the witnesses accounts are correct, there was nothing accidental about what befelled Osnes.

Ironically, friends report that Osnes’ pet peeve was rude drivers.  These same friends have setup a webpage to pay tribute to their car free friend. 

Photo: John T. Osnes.com