A man who allegedly drove drunk and reversed an SUV into a group of people sitting in front of a Long Beach apartment building, killing a 20-month-old girl and injuring a woman and another girl, is scheduled for arraignment Thursday on murder and other charges.
Lamont Ivan Russell, 55, was also charged with gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, driving under the influence of an alcoholic beverage causing injury, driving with a 0.8% blood-alcohol content causing injury and driving under the influence of alcohol and a drug causing injury, according to the District Attorney’s Office.
The charges stem from a crash that occurred around 11:30 a.m. Monday in the 400 block of Maine Avenue, near Fourth Street.
Police said Russell was making a turning movement with his 2013 Chevrolet Captiva when the vehicle reversed at a high rate of speed, jumped a curb onto the sidewalk and slammed into the three victims.
The most seriously injured patient, the 20-month-old girl, was driven by Long Beach Police Department officers to a hospital, where she died, police said. She was later identified by the Los Angeles County medical examiner as Myrah Hunter.
A 45-year-old woman and a 12-year-old girl were also injured and taken to a hospital by paramedics. It was unclear if the three victims were related.
Russell remained at the scene and was questioned by police, who eventually arrested him.
“Speed, distraction and impaired driving appear to have contributed to this collision,” police said in a statement.
According to Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department inmate records, Russell was booked into the inmate reception center in downtown Los Angeles, with bail set at $335,000.
Nearby resident Alisa Hill told OnSceneTV that she ran outside after hearing a “blood-curdling” scream, and saw the woman pinned between the vehicle and a wall. She said the young girl had a gash on her leg.
“There was the white car backed up all the way onto someone’s front porch that they were hanging out on,” Hill said.
She said the driver was reversing the vehicle when the crash occurred.
“You know sometimes you switch pedals? Instead of braking, he gassed, and he gassed it enough and pinned that person up against, in between the wall and the car,” she said. “They chill on the porch a lot.”
Anyone who witnessed the crash was urged to call the LBPD’s Collision Investigation Detail at 562-570-7355 to speak with Detective Dougherty. Anonymous tips can be submitted through L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (800-222-8477) or www.lacrimestoppers.org.