A father and son are dead and the child’s mother is critically injured after they were struck by an SUV driven by a man suspected of driving under the influence (DUI) on Halloween night in Southern California, police told Fox News on Sunday.
The crash unfolded just before 10 p.m. in Long Beach, according to a news release.
Police said the alleged DUI driver, identified as 20-year-old Carlo Navarro of Long Beach, slammed into the family on Thursday night. Paramedics rushed all three relatives to the hospital in critical condition. The 30-year-old father died at the hospital that night and his 3-year-old son died at the hospital on Saturday morning, Long Beach police said, adding that the child’s mother was still critical.
A preliminary investigation revealed that man behind the wheel of the 2002 Toyota Sequoia was driving southbound when he failed to make a turn in the road, drove up onto the sidewalk and struck the family of three from Long Beach who were walking on the sidewalk, according to the news release.
Navarro was arrested at the scene and a DUI investigation was launched, which included a toxicology, police said, adding that he was booked for driving under the influence and gross vehicular manslaughter.
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Navarro was released after posting bail, according to online court records. It was not clear if he had an attorney.
The family members were identified as 30-year-old Joseph Awaida, his son Omar and his wife, Raihan Dakhil, who “suffered severe life-threatening injuries,” according to a GoFundMe page that was created to help cover the family’s medical and funeral costs.
