Man who allegedly fled Starbucks crash with injured child is arrested
A 3-year-old was recovering from injuries Friday and a 33-year-old man was under arrest after a late-night crash into a Starbucks in Newport Beach in which the driver allegedly grabbed the youngster from the wreckage and ran.
Johnny Martinez was apprehended about a mile away, still clutching the child in his arms, police said. Martinez was later arrested on suspicion of child endangerment and hit-and-run driving, both felonies.
Police said not say what the relationship was between the man and the child.
Officers said Martinez rammed a sport utility vehicle into the Starbucks at Campus Drive and MacArthur Boulevard around 9:30 p.m. and then ran away with the child, who they did not identify by name or gender.
The coffee house was closed at the time.
Martinez was unhurt, but the child suffered minor injuries and was taken to Hoag Hospital in Newport Beach for evaluation, Newport Beach police Lt. Evan Sailor said. Police said they did not know whether the child was still hospitalized.
It was unclear how the crash occurred, but alcohol does not appear to be a factor and traffic investigators were continuing to investigate, Sailor said.
According to jail records, Thursday was Martinez’s birthday.
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