Son of Slain Officer Is Hit by Van, Killed
The 5-year-old son of a Los Angeles policeman shot to death while on duty three years ago died after being hit by a van in the parking lot of his Pomona school, authorities said.
Nicholas Pratt was taken to Pomona Valley Hospital, where he was pronounced dead of massive chest injuries Wednesday, Pomona police said. It was only the third time that the boy had walked to Ranch Hills Elementary School without his mother, police said. He apparently darted out from between two parked cars and was hit by a van driven by Patricia Chiappetta, 41, of Pomona. Police said Chiappetta was driving about 10 miles an hour. They called the death an accident and said no charges will be filed.
An LAPD spokesman said that the boy’s father, Daniel Pratt, was killed in 1988 in a gun battle in South-Central Los Angeles.
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