By Shayna Jacobs
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
MANHATTAN SUPREME COURT — A man who claims he was acting in self-defense when he nearly killed a woman over a parking spot in the East Village apologized Monday after he was indicted for the attack.
Prosecutors charged Oscar Fuller, 34, with second-degree assault for allegedly punching 25-year-old Lana Rosas in the head in front of 520 East 14th Street on Feb. 25. Rosas had been trying to hold a parking space for her boyfriend when Fuller pulled up to the spot and assaulted her, police said.
"I am very very sorry for the situation she is going through," Fuller said outside court Monday. "It crushed my whole family. It crushed her whole family as well."
Rosas remains in critical condition at Bellevue Hospital where authorities said she may not survive. Doctors had to remove part of her skull because of brain swelling, and she's expected to suffer from permanent brain damage if she lives through the ordeal, prosecutors said.
His indictment charges will remain sealed until his arraignment in Manhattan Supreme Court next month. The charges could be increased to homicide if Ramos does not survive.
Fuller has repeatedly admitted that he punched the woman, but has defended his actions as a one-swing "reflex" after the woman started punching him first.
"She hit me first and as you know there were cameras everywhere in New York City," Fuller said on the steps of the courthouse, after learning of the indictment.
His lawyer Thomas Kenniff said they were disappointed the grand jury decided to indict him. Still, he said, Fuller should not be held responsible for Rosas' injuries.
"No one could ever foresee that by striking someone once in the face, they're going to fall back, hit their head on the pavement, fracture their skull and end up in a coma," Kenniff said.
"If he could turn back time he would," he added.
Fuller is next scheduled to appear in court on April 7. He is free on $100,000 bail bond.
