Toddler Crushed to Death by Street Sweeper : Tragedy: The boy was walking across a Sun Valley intersection with his mother when he was struck, police say.

A toddler was crushed to death beneath a street sweeper Tuesday morning as he crossed a Sun Valley intersection holding his mother’s hand, officials said.

The mother and son had just left a market and were crossing to the south side of Saticoy Street when the nine-ton sweeper turned right on a green light from Vineland Avenue, knocking the boy to the ground, pulling him beneath its wheels and killing him, Detective Anthony Bartolotto said.

A city public works official said it was the first fatality in 20 years involving a Los Angeles street maintenance vehicle.

The driver, identified by police as Troy Dolliole, 28, of Los Angeles, told investigators he was unaware of pedestrians in his path until he saw the boy’s mother pushed to the left side of his vehicle, Bartolotto said.

Dolliole--a nine-year city employee who has driven street sweepers for two years--was not cited, but the accident remained under investigation. Dolliole has no infractions or accidents on his state Department of Motor Vehicles record for at least the past three years, the DMV said.

The victim was identified as Arturo Renteria, believed to be 2 or 3, said Bob Dambacher, a spokesman for the Los Angeles County coroner’s office. The boy’s mother was identified by police as Guadalupe Viscara of Sun Valley, believed to be in her early 20s, police said.

Viscara was taken to Pacifica Hospital of the Valley, where she was treated for minor injuries and released, assistant hospital administrator Larry McFarland said.

Bystanders said Viscara, who police treated at the scene for shock, was deeply distraught.

“She wouldn’t let nobody touch her,” said 17-year-old Betty Romirez.

Gardener Mario Villalvazo, 29, who was on his way to a pharmacy to buy medicine for his children when he witnessed the accident about 10 a.m., said he thought of his children. “I’m scared a little bit because my wife when she takes them to school, she takes the kids like this,” making a motion as if to hold a child by the hand, as Viscara had been doing.

“I heard screaming and just looked outside and she was jumping up and down and screaming and crying,” said Kiwoo Kim, manager of the Qik Market on Saticoy Street.

An RTD supervisor at the scene, Don Baumgartner, said a bus driver who witnessed the accident said Dolliole had the light in his favor and did not appear to be speeding. Bob Hayes, a spokesman for the city Public Works Department, said street sweepers go a maximum 40 m.p.h., and usually travel 6 to 8 m.p.h. while cleaning.

Police said Dolliole’s speed Tuesday remained under investigation. Sgt. Bob Rieboldt said police also planned to check the brakes on the sweeper and determine whether skid marks found in the road were made by the sweeper’s tires.