Holly MatkinSanta Ana, CA – Authorities have released surveillance video of an 11-year-old boy being flipped into the air after he was struck by a hit-and-run driver late in March. (video below).
The driver fled the scene and remains on the loose, the Santa Ana Police Department (SAPD) said in a press release on April 12.
The incident occurred in the 700-block of South Birch Street at approximately 1:36 p.m. on March 29, according to the SAPD.
Family members said an 11-year-old boy and his cousin were walking down the sidewalk on their way home when a dog began barking at them, KABC reported.
“They were walking home from school,” a SAPD spokesperson confirmed during an interview with KTLA.
Surveillance footage from a nearby home showed the young boys as they paused briefly near a yard, then turned and took off running across the street.
The boys ran out into the path of an older-model, black Cadillac DeVille with dark tinted windows that was traveling southbound, the video showed.
One of the boys was able to make it to safety, but the second boy was struck by the front of the car and flipped into the air.
“The vehicle continued southbound and never stopped,” the SAPD noted.
The injured boy was rushed to the Children’s Hospital of Orange County.
His mother said he was treated for bruises and scrapes, but that he will recover and has returned to school, KABC reported.
“The entire incident is very unfortunate,” the SAPD spokesperson told KTLA. “These kids were innocent bystanders.”
Investigators have determined the suspect vehicle is an early-2000s, black Cadillac Deville with chrome metal trim and chrome rims, the SAPD said.
They urged anyone with information about the incident or the driver to contact police immediately.
Watch the incident unfold in the video below. Warning – Graphic Content:
