A Long Beach man appeared in court today for the first time since he was charged with drunkenly backing his SUV over a sidewalk, killing a toddler and seriously injuring two other people outside a Willmore apartment.
Prosecutors say Lamont Russell, 55, was reversing and turning his 2013 Chevrolet SUV shortly before 11:30 a.m. on March 2, when he rolled over the curb at high speed and hit people sitting on the stairs in front of the apartment building on Maine Avenue near Fourth Street.
On Monday, wearing a blue prison-issued T-shirt and pants, Russell agreed to have his arraignment delayed until March 17. He is charged with one count of murder, three felony counts of DUI causing great bodily injury and one count of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated.
If convicted, prosecutors say he could face life in prison.
Russell was initially ordered held on $335,000 bail. That increased to $2,050,000 million when prosecutors charged him with murder. On Monday, Judge Christopher J. Frisco increased his bail to $3,075,000.
The crash killed a 20-month-old girl named Myrah Hunter, who was sitting on the stairs with a 45-year-old woman and a 12-year-old girl, who both suffered “significant injuries to their lower extremities,” police said.
In a search warrant filed the same day as the crash, police said Russell was visibly impaired when officers arrived and had a blood alcohol content of .207%, more than twice the legal limit.
Russell told officers at the scene, “My brakes didn’t work,” according to the warrant. Video of the crash showed the SUV “accelerating backwards from a complete stop.”
A neighbor’s account matches what is in the search warrant. He told the Long Beach Post he heard squealing tires that indicated a quick acceleration before the crash. Another neighbor, Alisa Hill, said she was nearby when she heard a loud bang, then “a scream that you know something bad happened.”
“This heartbreaking crash took place in broad daylight on the sidewalk of a residential street, where all children and community members should be safe,” Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said in a statement.
Court records show Russell also had an outstanding warrant for a misdemeanor count of battery on a domestic partner. Jail records show he lived at the apartment building where the crash occurred.
On Monday, Frisco also issued a protective order for Russell to remain 100 yards away from the surviving crash victims.