Police Searching For Van That Struck Teen In Hit & Run
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POMPANO BEACH (CBSMiami) – As a teenager recovers from his injuries in the hospital, authorities have released images of the van that struck him in hopes that someone from the community can identify the hit-and-run driver.
Angel Garcia, 17, was hit Monday morning on his way to school in Pompano Beach, near the 700 block of 8th Street.
Police said Garcia was walking eastbound and the van did not stop to help.
Security video from a nearby business shows the van, from a distance, strike the boy. The driver gets out, walks back, looks down at the boy, then gets back in the van and drives off.
Garcia's mother, Elizabeth, sobbed at a news conference Wednesday, telling reporters she doesn't know why anyone would do something like that – leave her gravely injured son lying there on the pavement.
The mother begged the person responsible for the accident to come forward, saying that she will forgive him and God will forgive him.
The boy's little brother wiped away tears, recalling seeing his brother in the hospital with multiple fractures, head trauma, possible brain damage.
"The first time I saw him in the hospital I was just shocked," 12-year-old Jose Garcia said. "I wonder if he is going to be able to remember some stuff."
The hit-and-run vehicle is described as an older model full-size Ford Econoline van, dark in color with a light, maybe chrome trim around its edges. The van should have damage to the passenger-side front.
On Wednesday, police passed out fliers in the area of the hit and run, and almost immediately got a promising lead.
A motorist looked at the photo of the van on the flier and said she saw one just like it parked at a business a half dozen blocks away three days before the accident.
There's a $3,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest. If you know anything that can help, call Broward Crime Stoppers at (954) 493-TIPS.