Hit-and-Run Driver Strikes Boy; Victim, 5, Isn’t Expected to Live

A 5-year-old boy was in critical condition Saturday and was not expected to live after being struck by a hit-and-run driver outside his family’s Long Beach home, officials said.

The child, who was hit Friday evening, suffered head and abdominal injuries and a broken leg and arm, according to a spokesman for Long Beach Memorial Medical Center.

Antoine McClelland was arrested shortly after the accident and booked at Long Beach jail on the felony charge of hit and run, said Sgt. Robert Parker of the Long Beach Police Department.

McClelland was not found to be driving under the influence of alcohol, Parker said.

The accident occurred shortly after 6 p.m. at the corner of 23rd and Lime. The boy, whose name was not released, was playing in front of his house and had run into the street when he was struck by a maroon Thunderbird, police said.

A witness identified the car’s driver and told officers the suspect lived in the area, Parker said. Police arrested McClelland about 20 minutes later after he “showed back up at the scene and the witness pointed him out,” Parker said.