Police say a Long Beach man was arrested on suspicion of DUI and vehicular manslaughter after he backed his SUV over a curb and struck three people, killing a 20-month-old girl.
Police say Lamont Russell, 55, was reversing and turning shortly before 11:30 a.m. Monday outside an apartment building on Maine Avenue near Fourth Street. The 2013 Chevrolet SUV then rolled over the curb at high speed and hit people sitting on the stairs in front of an apartment building. A neighbor said he heard the car quickly accelerate backward, as if someone hit the gas instead of the brakes.
Officers quickly arrived and started giving first aid to the toddler. They decided to rush her to the hospital themselves rather than wait for medics. The child, later identified as Myrah Hunter, died at the hospital, according to authorities.
Paramedics took the other two victims — a 45-year-old woman and a 12-year-old girl — to the hospital to treat traumatic injuries, according to the Long Beach Fire Department. They were in stable condition as of Monday afternoon.
A neighbor, who declined to provide his name, said he believed Russell was related to the victims. Police declined to say if Russell knew the victims.
Jail information shows Russell lived at the apartment building where the crash happened. He was booked on three felony counts of DUI causing bodily injury and a felony count of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence.
Court records show Russell also had an outstanding warrant for a misdemeanor count of battery on a domestic partner. He was being held on $335,000 bail.