Toddler Killed, Mother Hurt By Hit-And-Run Driver Near South Gate
FLORENCE (CBSLA.com) — A young boy was killed and his mother was hurt Thursday after being struck by a hit-and-run driver near South Gate.
The accident occurred as a woman pushed her toddler in a stroller across the street just after 7 p.m. at Holmes Avenue and Firestone Boulevard in the Florence area, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said.
A driver in a red Toyota Venza with Arizona plates sideswiped a silver Nissan Versa and then a black Chevy pickup, both stopped at a red light.
The Toyota then careened into a woman and a child in a car-push stroller.
The woman driving the Toyota took off, stopped and then fled on foot.
Witnesses say the baby was knocked across the intersection.
Moments after the collision, the mother was lying on the ground and looking around for her child, the driver of the Chevy pickup Jeronimo Zaca said.
"I was in shock and I was looking at the mom. She was on the floor and she was looking for her baby ... when she saw her baby, she saw it was all the way there," Zaca said, pointing away from the crash site. "So, she tried to stand up, but she couldn't. Somebody came and she helped her stand up so she could go and see the baby."
The toddler, who appeared to be 3-4 years old, was rushed to Harbor UCLA Medical Center in Harbor City, where he died of his injuries.
The mother reportedly suffered moderate injuries.
Hours later, the toddler's stroller lay in the intersection as a tragic testament to what had occurred.
Witnesses were able to chase the woman suspected in the hit-and-run and detained her until police arrived. As of 10 p.m., she was still being detained and questioned by authorities.