Holly MatkinWilton Manors, FL – A convicted felon accused of a hit-and-run crash that killed two young children and put four other children in the hospital has been arrested.
The incident occurred at shortly before 3 p.m. on Dec. 27 near the 2400-block of Northwest 9th Avenue, WFOR reported.
Police said 27-year-old Sean Greer was driving southbound when a bus in front of him stopped to drop off a passenger, according to WFTV.
Greer allegedly failed to allow the bus to merge when it pulled back out and sped past it, nearly hitting the front driver side of the bus while cutting in front of it.
Investigators said Greer then veered off to the right, driving off the roadway and onto a driveway and sidewalk, where he plowed into six children, WFTV reported.
“I don’t know if he couldn’t control the car, but he drove straight into those kids,” Broward Transit driver Selvin Arjun later told WFOR.
Greer sped off after hitting the young children, leaving five-year-old Kylie Jones and six-year-old Andrea Fleming dead on the ground, according to police.
Resident Freddie Pickney said she ran outside when she heard a woman “hollering and screaming” near her vehicle, WFTV reported.
“She was saying that was her baby that got killed in the accident,” Pickney recounted.
Rhome Orismo told WFOR he had just gotten onto the bus when the horrific collision occurred.
“I stood right up as soon as I witnessed the crash, witnessed the impact,” Orismo said. “It’s still eating away at me now that someone would do something like that and not stop, not try to render aid to those children.”
Two nine-year-old girls, a two-year-old boy, and a 10-year-old boy were rushed to the hospital for treatment of their injuries, WPLG reported.
Two were listed in critical condition, one was listed in fair condition, and the fourth has been released to recover at home, according to WFOR.
The suspect’s bumper was ripped off during the collision and was recovered by investigators, WPLG reported.
Detectives used physical evidence found at the scene and other available information to identify the suspect vehicle, WFTV reported.
They then located the 2009 Honda Accord Greer had allegedly been driving and spoke with him before booking him into the Broward Sheriff’s Office Main Jail on Tuesday evening, according to WFOR.
Deputies said Greer confessed to his role in the deadly collision, WFTV reported.
He has been charged with two counts of leaving the scene of an accident involving serious bodily injury, two counts of leaving the scene of an accident involving death, tampering with evidence, two counts of leaving the scene of an accident involving injuries, driving with a suspended license, and four counts of driving without a license causing death and/or serious injuries.
Greer was already on probation for a home burglary conviction in Broward County at the time of the crash, WFTV reported.
BSO Public Information Officer Miranda Grossman said the tragic incident has been difficult for everyone involved, according to WFOR.
“This is a heartbreaking evening for everyone – for family, friends, and our first responders,” Officer Grossman said.
One resident said she had spoken to the children just moments before the crash.
“I had said ‘Merry Christmas and have a safe New Year.’ And look. In a wink, anything can happen,” she told WFOR.
Wilton Manors Police Chief Gary Blocker denounced Greer’s alleged actions in a statement released early Wednesday morning.
“Greer was behind the wheel of the 2009 Honda Accord that struck these children, and then he heartlessly fled the scene without rendering aid,” Chief Blocker wrote. “His actions are appalling to us all.”
The chief said the Wilton Manors Police Department (WMPD)’s Victim Services Unit will continue to support the victims’ families moving forward.
“I ask our community to keep our victims, their families, and their friends in your thoughts and prayers,” he wrote.
