Itasca police report juvenile struck by vehicle; driver fled, later arrested after interagency stop

Itasca police told trustees on June 17 that officers responded to a June 11 crash in which a juvenile female was struck by a vehicle at the corner of Prospect and Irving and sustained a serious leg injury.

Officer Mace briefed the board: "Officers arrived on scene. It was very evident that it was a serious, leg injury, and the driver had fled the scene," he said. Mace said officers obtained a vehicle description, broadcast it, and partner agencies using the FLOC system located and stopped a matching vehicle in a neighboring town. "We went to that traffic stop, obtained a confession. The person was subsequently arrested for the accident," Mace reported.

The nut graf: police credited the FLOC interagency information-sharing system and cooperation from neighboring departments for locating and arresting the suspected driver after a hit-and-run; the juvenile victim underwent surgery and was reported to be "on the mend."

In response to trustees' questions about how the collision occurred, Mace said detectives were still reviewing multiple video sources and witness information and that they were not yet certain whether the pedestrian had the right of way. He said the child "ran across the street" near the traffic light on the south side toward the Dunkin' Donuts area, and that investigators were "still reviewing the video because we don't have specific witnesses on if the driver had the right away or not." Mace emphasized the critical issue that the driver fled the scene.

Ending: Police said they are working through video and witness evidence and will provide updates as the investigation continues; the board acknowledged the department's use of regional radio/locator resources in resolving the case.