Motorists Chase Down Car After It Strikes 2 Boys

Motorists who witnessed a hit-and-run accident Monday that injured two boys while they were walking home from school in Reseda chased and captured the fleeing driver, Los Angeles police said.

One of the witnesses followed the driver, a 17-year-old Los Angeles girl, through a shopping center parking lot, pulled in front of her car and forced her to stop, Officer Richard Neuenschwander said.

“He got her out of the car and took the keys and held her until my arrival,” Neuenschwander said. Another unidentified motorist also helped detain the woman, the officer said.

Injured in the incident were Kevin Kent, 8, and Robert Adam Williams, 9, both of Reseda, who were walking at Victory Boulevard and Corbin Avenue about 2:45 p.m. when they were struck, authorities said.

The boys were taken in separate Los Angeles Fire Department helicopters to Childrens Hospital in Los Angeles, where Robert was in critical condition with two broken legs and head injuries, authorities said.

Kevin was treated for a broken leg, then transferred in satisfactory condition to Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in Woodland Hills, they said.

Witnesses said the suspect was speeding east on Victory Boulevard when she ran the red light at Corbin Avenue and hit the two boys in the intersection, according to Neuenschwander, who investigated.

The two were crossing Victory with the green light when they were struck, he said, the impact hurling the boys about 85 feet.

“She apparently slowed down, then took off,” Neuenschwander said of the driver.

“When the kids stepped into the street, she hit both of them,” Sgt. Joseph Morgan said. “She didn’t get far.”

Dean Leonetti of Chatsworth, who was northbound on Corbin Avenue, saw the teen-ager’s car leaving and gave chase, Neuenschwander said.

He got her to stop once four blocks away, near Victory and Tampa Avenue, but she drove away through a shopping center parking lot before he pulled his car in front of hers and forced her to stop, the officer said.

The suspect, who was not identified because of her age, was arrested on suspicion of felony hit-and-run and taken to Sylmar Juvenile Hall, the officer said.