Oakland police arrest woman, seeking man in dragging of 14-year-old boy

OAKLAND, Calif. (KTVU) - KTVU has learned that Oakland police arrested a woman and are looking for a man in connection with a hit-and-run crash in which a 14-year-old boy on his bike was dragged for blocks near the Fruitvale BART station.

Sources confirmed that Leah Conner, 36, of Oakland was arrested on Tuesday on suspicion of felony hit-and-run causing injury.

The victim, identified as Carlos, was struck on Jan. 2 while he was riding his bicycle that he got for Christmas, according to his uncle, Errico Bachicha, who started a GoFundMe page for the family.

"We didn't think he would live," said Bachicha, who is also a math teacher at Oakland Tech. 

Oakland Police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick visited the boy Wednesday at UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital Oakland. "He is one tough guy," the chief said. "I'm just so impressed with how smart he is, how much of a fight he's showing in his recovery."

She sounded a warning to the other suspect. "I'm going to plead with you right now. Turn yourself in,call us or come down, because it's just a matter of time."

Carlos was dragged four blocks by the gold, four-door car on the 1100 block of 35th Avenue, Watson said. Finally, when the car stopped in the 900 block of 34th Avenue, he was able to free himself from the undercarriage.

He was taken to the hospital with broken bones and internal injuries. Bachicha said that Carlos will survive, but had 30 breaks in his bones, his lower lung removed and internal bleeding. He has so much road rash, his uncle said, that he is being treated as a burn victim. 

Video provided to KTVU by a witness of that afternoon shows a man and a woman getting out of ta gold Honda after the boy was hit, and telling others to call for help. But they didn't help the boy themselves. The video shows they switched places so that the woman could drive away. 

KTVU contacted the registered owner of the Honda, and a family member said the car was stolen and that they last saw it on New Year's Day, the day before the incident.

"This was a horrific situation, and even this young man, he said to me, 'I don't understand why they had to drag me for three blocks.' "

The Oakland Police Department and Crime Stoppers of Oakland are offering a reward up to $5, 000 for any information leading to an arrest in this case.

Potential witnesses should call OPD's Traffic Investigative Section at (510) 777-8570.