A Lakeside man was arrested on suspicion of fleeing after the SUV he was allegedly driving struck a 12-year-old pedestrian in El Cajon, leaving the youth severely injured.
The 35-year-old man was allegedly driving a white BMW X5 that hit the boy on Ballantyne Street, south of Park Avenue, about 8 p.m. Wednesday, according to the El Cajon Police Department.
Emergency personnel arrived to find the victim lying in the roadway with extensive head injuries. The driver fled, leaving vehicle debris scattered in the street, Lt. Joe Crawford said.
Paramedics took the child to a hospital, where he was admitted in critical condition. He remained hospitalized with stable vital signs Friday, Crawford said.
An automated license-plate reader and other databases identified the alleged vehicle, and detectives found it parked at a Lakeside business, damaged in a manner consistent with the crash, according to police. Officers then located and arrested the suspect.
The suspect was booked into San Diego Central Jail on suspicion of felony hit-and-run causing great bodily injury. He was being held on $50,000 bail pending arraignment, scheduled for Tuesday afternoon.