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4-year-old dies after teen in stolen SUV slams into family’s car, Georgia cops say

Georgia police have charged a 15-year-old driver in a head-on collision that killed a 4-year-old and critically injured the child’s father.
Georgia police have charged a 15-year-old driver in a head-on collision that killed a 4-year-old and critically injured the child’s father. Screengrab from WSB-TV

A 15-year-old is accused of getting behind the wheel of a stolen car before crashing head-on into another vehicle on Wednesday afternoon in Atlanta, according to Georgia authorities.

A 4-year-old is dead, and the child’s father is fighting for his life.

Atlanta police said the crash happened just after 4:30 p.m. when officers were notified about a stolen Honda Pilot nearby, according to a news release.

Officers spotted the vehicle a short time later, and the suspects sped off in the SUV, according to police.

The SUV was driving on Lakewood Avenue when it slammed into another car carrying a father and his son. Both were rushed to a hospital, where the 4-year-old died from his injuries.

Atlanta police said the father remained in critical condition on Thursday.

Officers told WSB-TV there were at least six people inside the stolen SUV. Two — a 15-year-old and a 17-year-old — were arrested at the scene, police said.

The 17-year-old was cited for possession of a firearm under the age of 18. The 15-year-old was charged with theft by receiving stolen property, police said, and released to his parents.

The incident remains under investigation, and authorities said additional charges are pending.

This story was originally published April 1, 2021 at 2:22 PM with the headline "4-year-old dies after teen in stolen SUV slams into family’s car, Georgia cops say."

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Tanasia Kenney
Sun Herald
Tanasia is a service journalism reporter at the Charlotte Observer | CharlotteFive, working remotely from Atlanta, Georgia. She covers restaurant openings/closings in Charlotte and statewide explainers for the NC Service Journalism team. She’s been with McClatchy since 2020.
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