1-Year-Old Dies in Vehicle Accident

On Saturday, August 15, at approximately 8:05 p.m., officers were dispatched to the area of Lei Drive and Polynesian Drive in North Long Beach regarding an injury traffic collision between a vehicle and a pedestrian.

Officers arrived on-scene as Long Beach Fire personnel were also on-scene, treating a 1-year-old male juvenile resident of Long Beach who had been run over by a vehicle. The juvenile was immediately transported to a local hospital but later succumbed to his injuries.

The preliminary investigation revealed the juvenile and his father had just been dropped off at their residence by a car service driver. As the father and juvenile exited the vehicle, the father became momentarily distracted, and the juvenile ran in front of the vehicle. The driver then pulled away from the curb, failing to see the juvenile in front of the vehicle, and subsequently striking him with a front tire. The driver remained at the scene for the investigation.

Anyone who may have witnessed this incident is urged to call Long Beach Police Department, Collision Investigation Detective Brian Ekrem at (562) 570-7132.  Anonymous tips may be submitted through “LA Crime Stoppers” by calling 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), downloading the “P3 Tips” app to your smartphone (Available at the Apple App store and Google Play), or visiting www. lacrimestoppers.org.