Prosecutors say they have charged a Long Beach man with murder for drunkenly backing his SUV over a sidewalk, killing a toddler and seriously injuring two other people.
Police say Lamont Russell, 55, was visibly impaired when officers spoke to him shortly after the crash Monday morning. A breathalyzer test showed Russell had a blood-alcohol content of .207%, more than twice the legal limit, according to a warrant officers filed to get permission to search Russell’s 2013 Chevrolet SUV.
The warrant says the LBPD has video of the SUV “accelerating backwards from a complete stop” around 11:30 a.m. and jumping the curb on Maine Avenue near Fourth Street, where it crashed into a small set of stairs outside an apartment building.
The crash killed 20-month-old girl 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.
When officers interviewed Russell at the scene, he told them, “My brakes didn’t work,” according to the warrant.
In addition to the murder charge, Russell faces 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.
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.
Russell was being held on $335,000 bail and set to be arraigned Thursday afternoon.
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.