Driver struck a 5-year-old — then checked car for damage and drove off, La. cops say

Deputies found the 5-year-old boy’s body Monday night, resting lifeless on the side of a road in Hammond, Louisiana.

By that point, the man suspected of striking the child just after 7 p.m. — Davonta Johnson Abron, 25 — had already driven off, according to the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff's Office. Witnesses told deputies that Abron stepped out of his black, four-door Nissan Sentra to inspect the vehicle for damage — but then left the motionless child on the roadside and fled, the New Orleans Times-Picayune reports.

The boy was given CPR at the scene and then rushed to a local hospital, where he died, WAFB reports.

Abron, a Hammond resident, was arrested Tuesday at 2:30 a.m. at his home on a handful of charges, including hit-and-run resulting in a fatality and negligent homicide, the Baton Rouge Advocate reports. Abron also had multiple outstanding warrants, according to the sheriff's office.

Hammond is about 50 miles east of Baton Rouge, northwest of Lake Pontchartrain and News Orleans.

Witnesses told police they had heard the sound of a loud crash, then watched as Abron briefly exited his car before he drove away, the Times-Picayune reports. The sheriff’s office said it’s still investigating the incident.

The boy has been identified as Amani Shakur Robinson, WDSU reports. His parents told the TV station their son was a “joyful boy who loved school.”

This story was originally published May 8, 2018 at 3:44 PM with the headline "Driver struck a 5-year-old — then checked car for damage and drove off, La. cops say."