CHP hopes community can help ID driver in hit-and-run involving 6-year-old boy
CASTRO VALLEY, Calif. - California Highway Patrol is hoping the public can help identify a driver that hit a 6-year-old boy Tuesday night.
The white SUV was turning off of Castro Valley Boulevard onto Nunes Avenue when it hit the boy around 5:30 p.m., and then kept driving.
"He was left in the street injured, and the driver didn’t seem to care to stop and check on his welfare," said Daniel Jacowitz, the public information officer for CHP in Castro Valley.
Jacowitz said the boy was heading to a karate studio with his mom and brother. Parents outside the studio immediately rushed to help him.
Surveillance video from a Jack in the Box across the street is blurry, but Jacowitz said it shows the moment the SUV hits the boy, then slightly brakes before taking off again.
CHP Castro Valley issues new photos of suspected vehicle of interest involved in hit and run that injured 6-year-old child.
SEE ALSO: Pedestrian killed in San Francisco collision identified; described as 'dear mother, grandmother'
"It indicates to us that the driver may have been aware that they struck something, they either felt something hit their car, and they had that oh boy curious moment. That doesn’t necessarily prove intent, but it shows that there was some type of thought behind actions because obviously you have to release the brake pedal and continue to drive down the street," said Jacowitz.
Parents at T-Kane Karate were shocked to hear a child was hit right in front of the studio.
"I can’t imagine it. And we live just on the next corner, so they went right by my house. That’s even scarier," said parent Jim Macintire. "I didn’t realize it was a hit-and-run until today and that just broke my heart."
The boy was rushed to the hospital with serious injuries, but luckily he recovered well and was downgraded to moderate condition before being released Wednesday afternoon.
CHP Castro Valley issues new photos of suspected vehicle of interest involved in hit and run that injured 6-year-old child.
CHP is encouraging the driver to come forward.
"If you are involved in a crash, it makes things so much easier if you just stop, take responsibility for your actions and come forward and work with police. If you leave the scene of a crash, whether it’s a minor injury or a major injury, it constitutes a felony," said Jacowitz.
He said the car looks like a white midsize SUV, possibly a Ford or Nissan. It likely has front end damage on the right side.
"All I can hope is that maybe they didn’t even realize that they hit something, small kid and a big SUV, maybe they didn’t even feel it. You know, I hope that’s the case and not someone callous enough to just drive away," said Macintire.