A 19-year-old man has been charged with drunk driving manslaughter after he allegedly ran over a 2-year-old child and dragged him along with his tricycle while leaving a terrified family in a gated Florida community on Monday, authorities said.
In horrifying detail, The affidavit obtained by ClickOrlandoJoshua Montero “appeared to be dragging a child and his bicycle” several feet before the truck came to a halt.
Click Orlando reported in an affidavit that the toddler's mother said she and her husband were standing in their driveway on Labor Day while their children were riding their bikes on the road in front of their home when they heard and saw a speeding truck.
As the truck continued to travel toward a cul-de-sac, she and her husband began yelling at the driver to slow down, according to the affidavit.
The Tavares Police Department responded to a report of a juvenile being hit by a truck in the Oak Bend area around 7:15 p.m. Monday. police said in a statement..
“We are heartbroken that this innocent young boy's life has been lost in an incident that was easily preventable,” police said.
Police said the neighbor, who was standing next to the vehicle's owner, Montero, while administering emergency medical care to the child, smelled alcohol on him and that he “exhibited several indicators that he may have been under the influence of alcohol,” police said.
According to a report from Click Orlando, the 19-year-old initially refused to take a breathalyzer test, but agreed after officers said they were making an arrest “based on the indicators they observed.” The man was determined to have been drinking, and a breath test later confirmed his sobriety, according to the statement.
The boy was taken to AdventHealth Waterman Hospital, where he died from his injuries, police said.
The accident occurred in a closed, gated community on a “cul-de-sac” where the family felt they could safely let their children play under supervision.
“Prior to the accident, witnesses stated that the truck was driving above the speed limit and carelessly through a local area,” police added.
According to the affidavit, Montero's breath samples were 0.062 and 0.057, which are considered above the limit because he is a minor, ClickOrlando.com reported.
According to the affidavit cited by the media, officers noticed a strong odor of alcohol on Montero's breath as he was speaking.
Police added in the affidavit that Montero was only wearing swim trunks and his eyes were bloodshot and hollow.
According to the affidavit, witnesses told police they believed the truck's front wheels had completely run over the boy.
