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Good Samaritan Chases Down Hit And Run Driver
By
Jaya Saxena
Published May 20, 2010
Modified May 20, 2010
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By
Jaya Saxena
Published May 20, 2010
Modified May 20, 2010
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An undocumented immigrant has been arrested for a hit and run, mowing down four teenage girls and driving off with two still clinging to the hood of the car on Wednesday. Elias Garcia was arrested on charges of assault, reckless driving and four counts of endangering the welfare of a child after being chased down by a good Samaritan who witnessed the incident. Witnesses said Garcia stopped and started a few times after the accident, and Nassau County Police Lt. Kevin Smith told WCBS, "We believe what happened was he actually stopped at first, kind of looked at what he had done, and then began to take off again."
The accident happened Wednesday evening around 6:15 p.m., as the four girls were crossing the street near the Roosevelt Field Mall. They were struck by a Toyota Camry which had jumped the curb. Two were immediately thrown to the sidewalk, and Det. Lt. Raymond Coté told Newsday (subscription required), "the other two were clinging for their lives on the hood of this car...Witness accounts tell us he stops to get them off his car as you would some debris or a pile of snow off the hood of your car." The driver then sped off, but witness Steve Loverde took it upon himself to catch him.
Loverde jumped into his own car and headed after the Camry, noting his plate number and stopping him about a mile from the scene. He told Garcia, "Pull over. We got your plate. The cops are coming." Garcia apparently claimed he didn't see the girls, but was arraigned yesterday in First District Court in Hempstead. One girl received 170 stitches in her head, but all four are stable and being treated after the accident.
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Jaya Saxena
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