6 days ago
A 9-year-old boy struck by an SUV while riding his bike. Witnesses say the driver fled.
A 9-year-old boy is recovering after being hit by a car while riding his bike. The driver of the vehicle took off.
It happened just before 12:30 p.m. Sunday near 19th Avenue and Clinton Street in Aurora. Angel was riding his bike near home when a red SUV hit him.
"I was coming from over there and I was doing a U-turn," Angel said.
Seconds later, he was on the ground. His sister ran outside when she heard him screaming.
"I asked him, 'what happened? What happened?' He told me a car hit him," Padilla recalled. "Very disappointing. How can someone run over a nine-year-old boy and not even stop to check?"
A neighbor's security camera caught the sound of the impact, followed by Angel's cries. A red SUV is seen speeding off.
Gouges in the pavement show where the SUV dragged his bike before taking off north on 19th toward Montview Boulevard.
Angel's stepmother says the driver rolled his window down after the crash, then rolled it up and sped away. She says Angel described the suspect as light-complected, with black hair and a beard, no hat.
Neighbors say dangerous driving is a problem in the area, with multiple crashes into houses in the past two years. They want another stop sign or speed bumps added to the intersection.
"Put yourself in our shoes," his stepmother said. "If it was your kid, your niece, your nephew- Show your face. Be responsible. You just left him there like he's nothing."
Angel has a concussion, scrapes, and bruises, but no broken bones. His family fears the emotional damage will take longer to heal.
"He's traumatized," Padilla said. "I don't know if he'll ever want to ride a bike again."
Police are asking anyone with information or video from around 12:30 p.m. on Sunday near 19th Avenue and Montview to contact Denver Metro Crimestoppers.
