Boy, 4, dies after car ploughs into him while on bike ride with his dad
When the vehicle finally came to a stop the driver fled the scene on foot in a bid to evade police. Officers locked down nearby neighbourhoods in an attempt to catch the driver
A four-year-old boy has died after a driver ploughed into him and his dad while they were out on a bike ride.
Alan Marcelo Salas-Garcia was riding in a trailer seat hooked up to the back of his dad's bicycle on May 7 when tragedy struck. A person driving a Dodge Charger reportedly sped through a red light and hit them both, killing the young boy and leaving two other people injured.
According to local outlets FOX 59, WTHR and The Indianapolis Star, an Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD) spokesperson said that the driver was traveling east on Raymond Street in Indianapolis at a high speed around 9:15p.m. local time when he ran the red light at State Avenue.
Alan was rushed to hospital, where he was pronounced dead at around 10p.m. Alan's father was critically injured in the collision but was rushed to hospital where his condition soon stabilised.
When the vehicle finally came to a stop the driver fled the scene on foot, according to police. IMPD officers locked down nearby neighborhoods in an attempt to catch the driver, the Star reported, using drones and police dogs to help with the search., reports PEOPLE.
IMPD Night Watch Captain Don Weilhammer told FOX 59: "The driver of the other vehicle that was struck by the Charger had the green light. So, the bicyclist was well out, almost to the median crossing it. So, it wasn't a thing where they were trying to beat the light. It had been a solid red for quite some time, enough time for the light to turn green. And the other car was obviously out in the intersection as well."
Alan's father, identified by the Star as Cristobal Salas, was critically injured. The Dodge also struck a Honda, whose driver had a green light at the time of the crash.
The Salas' friends and neighbours opened up about just how much the incident has impacted the community. Tommy Jacob, the general manager of nearby Quality Liquor, told the Star: "That Charger was flying ... They didn't even attempt to stop. I haven't stopped crying since yesterday. It's just awful." Alan's 17-year-old brother also opened up about his death, telling the Star: "I still can't believe he's gone."
Other locals told the newspaper that they hope the city makes changes to make the neighborhood safer for pedestrians. Greg Howard, one of Salas' neighbors, told the Star: "I couldn't believe this would happen to them. They [are] like family. It's like a highway over there. People are constantly flying through it, making it unsafe for people to cross those roads safely."
"All this could've been avoided if we would do the speed limit and pay attention to the lights," Weilhammer added to FOX 59. "Slow down, we have two families that are definitely going to be affected by this tragedy. It all could've been avoided if they weren't speeding and hadn't disregarded the red light."
IMPD is asking anyone with information about the crash to contact investigators at (317) 327-2630. To remain anonymous, people can also contact Crime Stoppers of Central Indiana by calling (317) 262-8477, using the P3Tips mobile app or visiting CrimeTips.org.
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