Boy, 3, Hospitalized After Nearly Drowning

A little boy who accidentally rode his tricycle into a swimming pool and nearly drowned Saturday at a Lennox Avenue apartment complex was hospitalized in critical condition, said a spokesman for the Los Angeles Fire Department.

The 3-year-old was in the water for four to five minutes before he was pulled out, said fire spokesman Bob Collis. Paramedics called to the apartment building in the 6900 block of Lennox Avenue about 4 p.m. administered cardiopulmonary resuscitation on the child, who was not breathing and had no pulse.

The boy, identified as Detrell Williams, was listed in critical condition Saturday night in the pediatric intensive care unit at Valley Presbyterian Hospital, said hospital spokesman Hal Wurtzel.

It was too early to tell whether Detrell, whose body temperature was about 88 degrees when he was hospitalized, had suffered brain damage or other permanent injuries, Wurtzel said.

Officers from the Los Angeles Police Department’s Van Nuys Division are investigating the incident and may file child neglect or endangerment charges against the adults responsible for watching the boy, said Sgt. Brian Wendling.

Wendling said the boy was riding around the pool with his 4-year-old cousin when his wheel rolled over the pool’s edge, toppling him into the water. The children were under the supervision of two adult relatives at the time, he said.

“The kid fell in the pool and sunk to the bottom,” Wendling said, adding that investigators were told a witness apparently saw the accident happen. He said it was unclear why the person did not immediately pull out the child.