TAVARES, Fla. — A 19-year-old was arrested for allegedly running over a 2-year-old boy while he was drunk, according to Tavares police.
The boy's mother said she and her husband were in the driveway watching their children ride their bicycles in the street in front of their house around 7:15 p.m. on Monday in the Oak Bend neighborhood. They saw the Toyota Tacoma speeding as it turned onto their street and they yelled at the driver to slow down, according to the arrest affidavit.
The driver hit the 2-year-old and "appeared to drag the child and bicycle a few feet before the truck came to rest based on the apparent blood marks in the roadway," the affidavit read.
When Tavares Police officers arrived on the scene, they saw a neighbor performing CPR on the boy before he was transported to the hospital, according to a Facebook post. The toddler later died from his injuries, according to Lake County court records.
"Our hearts are saddened at the loss of this innocent boy's life in something that was easily preventable," the post read.
Police said the driver of the truck, named Joshua Montero, smelled like alcohol and had bloodshot, glassy eyes. He failed the field sobriety exercises and officers confirmed he was under the influence through a breathalyzer test, according to the post.
On the way to the jail, Montero told police he was drunk but not "drunk drunk" or was not "too drunk" to drive. He first told police he drank 15 beers but then changed his answer to three or four while at the beach. He also told police that he used cocaine within the last two days but didn't use any on the day of the crash.
Police said he was "repeatedly itching/wiping his nose and repeatedly sniffing."
Montero also said his alcohol level was higher when he hit the child because he was "spinning" while sitting in the patrol car.
Police said this accident was avoidable and the neighborhood is a closed, gated community.
"The street that this took place on was a short, dead-end street where families felt safe for their children to be able to play under their supervision. Prior to the accident, witnesses stated that the truck was traveling above the posted speed and in a careless manner within the neighborhood," the post read.
