Police say an 8-year-old boy was killed Saturday afternoon when he was struck by a car near a park in North Long Beach.
The crash happened at about 4:39 p.m. Saturday near the intersection of Paramount Boulevard and 56th Street, which is a block north of Davenport Park, according to Long Beach police.
Police said the boy ran into the street and was struck by a 2020 Honda Civic heading southbound on Paramount Boulevard. Paramedics rushed the child to a hospital, where he died.
The Honda driver, a 27-year-old man from Paramount, remained at the scene and cooperated with investigators, police said. Speed, distracted driving and driving under the influence were not believed to be factors in the crash, police said.
“Our hearts are with this young child’s family, and everyone affected by this terrible traffic collision,” Chief Wally Hebeish said in a statement. “This is a heartbreaking reminder of how quickly unexpected tragedies can occur and is a solemn reminder of the importance of doing all we can to ensure everyone’s safety on our roadways.”
Long Beach has been trying but failing to reduce traffic deaths in recent years. The City Council set a goal of eliminating all fatal crashes by 2026. Instead, they reached their highest tally in more than a decade last year.
So far this year, 23 people have been killed in 19 fatal crashes, according to data tracked by the Long Beach Post.
City officials have said speeding is often a factor in these worst crashes, but people are rarely ticketed for it. The number of speeding citations written by Long Beach police dropped after the pandemic and never fully recovered.
The city is now working on installing speed cameras as part of a state pilot program approved in 2023. Traffic safety advocates have criticized its rollout as sluggish.
Earlier this year, City Council members said street improvements overall are happening too slowly and asked for a plan to speed them up.