A 27-year-old California man has been arrested after allegedly running over a stroller and severely injuring a baby and a toddler in a horrifying hit-and-run.
Chester Lamont Gordon was taken into custody on Friday, Dec. 5, after police say he struck a 3-year-old boy who was walking with his family and an infant who was riding in a stroller in San Bernardino, CBS Los Angeles reported.
According to KTLA, Alina Burgos — just a few months old — and her 3-year-old brother, Alonso, were out walking with their parents on Arrowhead Avenue on Monday, Dec. 1, when Gordon allegedly sped into them. The impact threw Alonso to the ground, while the infant and her stroller were dragged an estimated 350 feet, CBS reported.
San Bernardino Police later seized Gordon’s vehicle. He was booked on felony hit-and-run and reckless driving charges.
Police told CBS that both children were rushed to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries. Alonso is recovering from a broken leg, while baby Alina suffered a brain bleed and a ruptured spleen. As of Wednesday, Dec. 3, they remained hospitalized but had been released from the ICU.
A GoFundMe launched by their aunt, Yesenia Burgos, is raising money for the children’s medical care. “On Monday evening, our family’s world was shattered,” she wrote, describing the moment the children’s parents, Marcelo and Karina Burgos, faced every parent’s worst nightmare.
Burgos said watching her brother and his partner endure such trauma has been “heartbreaking,” adding that no parent should have to stand beside a hospital bed wondering what comes next. She hopes donations will relieve the financial pressure so the family can focus on the long road to recovery.
“We are humbly asking for your support during this incredibly painful time,” she wrote. “Any donation, no matter the amount, will help cover medical bills, ongoing care, transportation, and essential living expenses while this family fights for the recovery of Alina and Alonso.”