One of the young children who commandeered their parents’ car last week in Oakland has been released from the hospital, authorities said Tuesday, five days after the 4-year-old boy and his brother went for a ride that ended when they barreled into a woman walking a dog.
The young child’s 6-year-old brother remained hospitalized Tuesday with two broken legs, as did the 31-year-old woman whom they hit as they traveled down 35th Avenue on Thursday morning, about a half-mile from their East Oakland home, authorities said.
The woman, Kiara Bowling, has yet to regain consciousness as she battles myriad injuries from the wreck, including a brain injury as well as facial and rib fractures, according to her aunt, Karon Markham. On Tuesday afternoon, she struggled to comprehend how swiftly her niece’s life had changed at the hands of two boys barely old enough to attend preschool or kindergarten.
“It’s stressful, because of the unknown,” said Markham, who wept while describing her niece’s injuries. “We don’t know what God has planned for her. And it’s all up to God.”
Bowling was walking her friend’s 7-year-old Chow Chow at the time of the crash, authorities said. The dog also was injured in the wreck.
At the time, Bowling was just months away from graduating in December from Cal State East Bay with a bachelor’s degree; her long-term goal was to eventually become a lawyer. She was the reigning Miss California in the 2026 Regency International Pageant, Markham said.
“She had her full life ahead of her,” Markham said.
The crash happened at 9:15 a.m. Thursday at the intersection of 35th and Mangels avenues in the Allendale district, just south of Interstate 580.
Kiara Bowling was hit Thursday, Aug. 6, by a car allegedly driven by a 6-year-old boy while walking her friend’s dog, pictured here. (Photo courtesy of Karon Markham)
Authorities say the 6-year-old boy was driving his parents’ Toyota Camry north on 35th Avenue when the car hit another vehicle and lost control — hitting Bowling, who was in a crosswalk. The child’s 4-year-old brother was in the passenger’s seat and suffered a concussion, authorities confirmed.
The child’s parents were asleep at the time, authorities confirmed, though it remains unclear exactly how the children got the car keys and managed to drive away in the car. Their father works as a rideshare driver, and had worked the night before the crash, authorities said.
On Tuesday, Bowling’s aunt said she held no ill will against the children, but said their parents should be held responsible for what happened.
“I don’t blame the children — I do not blame the children at all,” Markham said. “If your kids are up and you’re too tired, hire somebody to come in. Because if you have raised children at all, kids can get into anything. It can be markers, writing all over the wall. If they see you strike a match, they’re going to try to do that.”
“You have to stay woke physically and mentally,” she added. “We need answers.”
No one has yet been criminally charged in the crash, which remains under investigation by the Oakland Police Department.
If the child driving the vehicle had been older — perhaps a teenager — then authorities could seek to charge that person in juvenile court. Yet “the juvenile system is not equipped to deal with someone that young” as the 6-year-old accused of driving the car, said Steven Clark, a Bay Area attorney and legal analyst.
While parents could theoretically face criminal charges, the circumstances of the case will make for a difficult decision when prosecutors are faced with the decision on whether to file charges. Grabbing car keys is far different than, say, a child grabbing a gun that’s left unattended and accessible, he said.
“I understand the calls for accountability from the parents, because of the outcome of the case,” Clark said. “But in the analysis, I don’t know we’d hold a parent to the standard of ‘I got to hide my car keys from a 6-year-old.’ ”
Jakob Rodgers is a senior breaking news reporter. Call, text or send him an encrypted message via Signal at 510-390-2351, or email him at jrodgers@bayareanewsgroup.com.