Knocked Off Scooter by 2 Youths, Boy Dies

An 11-year-old boy who neighbors said had a heart condition died after he was knocked off his scooter by other youths in Compton on Monday, according to authorities.

The boy collapsed and died after the altercation in the 1000 block of South Castlegate Avenue about 4:35 p.m., said Sheriff’s Deputy Harry Drucker.

Sheriff’s homicide detectives were investigating. An autopsy is expected to determine the cause of death.

Neighbor Clifford Francis, 24, said “the little boy’s father picked him up, carried him into the house and called 911.”

“This is just terrible,” Francis said. “I’d always see him riding his scooter up and down the street.”

Another neighbor, Lynn Johnson, 44, said the victim “had a heart condition. He was very quiet and kept to himself. Some other kids used to pick on him because of that.

“But he was real nice, that kid,” Johnson said. “And he loved that scooter. His father used to stand in the street and watch him, making sure he didn’t go too far away.”

Neighbors Audwin Tolbert, who said he had been playing catch with the boy 40 minutes before the incident, and Isaac Douglas said the boy had been riding his scooter when two youths approached and one hit him. The boy fell and appeared to hit his head, they said.

The boy, who only recently got the scooter, had not been seen outside the house until the last few months, both neighbors said.

“This is the first year I’ve ever seen this kid outside,” Douglas said. “He had very good parents; they kept a close eye on him.”