VENICE, LOS ANGELES (KNX) – The teenager who struck a woman and her baby while driving in Venice in August was sentenced to five to seven months at a juvenile probation camp on Friday, according to multiple reports.
The collision happened at Speedway and Galleon streets just after 8:40 a.m.
Video of the incident shows the woman pushing her baby in the stroller when she goes over to the side of the street to let the car pass. That’s when a black car drives right into them, causing the woman to hit the hood of the car before falling on to the street. The stroller was also tipped over on its side. The car stops for a moment before speeding away.
Two men are seen chasing the car. According to the Daily Mail, the car was stopped after a pickup truck blocked its path.
The woman received lacerations to her elbow and the baby was uninjured, officials said.
The driver was 16-years-old and, according to Fox News was on probation at the time of the collision. The outlet said the teen had been convicted for spiking a teenage girl’s drink in 2019.
In addition to the sentencing the Los Angeles County District Attornye’s Office charged the now 17-year-old with two counts of felony assault and one count of felony leaving the scene of an accident that caused injury without exchanging information.
The D.A.’s decision was criticized, especially by the woman, who was identified as Rachel. In her victim impact statement, Rachel recalled the moment she thought she and her baby were dead.
“I thought those were the last moments of our lives, we were dead. That feeling, along with the memory of a car accelerating directly into us will haunt me forever," she said, according to CBS L.A. "I have never been more surprised or disappointed and, in fact, I have never felt so victimized as I have by the system and current policies of LA's DA, George Gascón.”
The D.A.’s office released a statement to Fox News saying that not only did the Sheriff’s Department agreed with the felony charges that were filed, but that by attending the juvenile probation camp, “ this teen will be held accountable for his actions and receive the needed services to foster positive development to keep him from committing future offenses.”
The D.A’s office also wrote on Twitter that, “After reviewing the evidence (and) the minor’s history with the juvenile system, the County Probation Department recommended a sentence that the judge agreed was appropriate.”
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