Driver arrested, booked for vehicular manslaughter, DUI in crash that killed toddler in Long Beach

LONG BEACH, Calif. (KABC) -- A driver was arrested and booked for vehicular manslaughter and DUI in a crash that killed a toddler and injured two other pedestrians in Long Beach.

The crash happened around 11:30 a.m. Monday in the 400 block of Maine Avenue.

When police arrived on scene, they found three pedestrians who were struck by an SUV: a 20-month-old girl, a 12-year-old girl and a 45-year-old woman. The toddler was identified by family as Myrah Hunter.

Officers provided medical aid to Myrah and rushed her to a local hospital, where she later died.

Meicole Johnson, Myrah's mother, witnessed the deadly crash unfold right in front of her.

"The driver came down the street, and then he tried to park and he went up on the curb," Johnson described. "I didn't see my daughter at first, then I seen her on top of my auntie."

Johnson said her aunt suffered broken ribs in the crash, and her 12-year-old niece broke her leg.

"My niece couldn't get off the ground. But I picked my son up and I gave him to my sister, because my sister jumped out of the way, too," Johnson said.

She credits her niece for saving her 10-month-old son by keeping him away from the vehicle. Her son was also sitting with her daughter and aunt.

Investigators say the driver in a 2013 Chevy Captiva was making a turn when the vehicle reversed at a high rate of speed off the road and onto the sidewalk, crashing into Johnson's daughter, aunt and niece.

The driver, identified as 55-year-old Lamont Ivan Russell of Long Beach, remained at the scene and was arrested. He was booked into jail for felony vehicular manslaughter, felony DUI and misdemeanor battery, police said. His bail was set at $335,000.

"Speed, distraction, and impaired driving appear to have contributed to this collision," Long Beach police stated in a news release.

If you have any information relevant to this incident, you're urged to contact Long Beach Police Department Detective Dougherty at (562) 570-7355. Anonymous tips can be submitted through L.A. Crime Stoppers by calling 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).