Police have detained Kwasi Oduro, a 73-year-old man who was behind the wheel of an SUV that crashed into a fast food restaurant in the Bronx on Thursday evening killing a 7-year-old boy and injuring others, including the boy's 5-year-old sister and 34-year-old father, according to NBC New York.
After the accident, which took place at around 5:30 p.m., Oduro fled the scene of the crime. He was later apprehended by the police. According to authorities, a Mercedes SUV driven by Oduro backed up into a Kennedy's Chicken and Sandwiches, hitting the three customers. All three were rushed to a nearby hospital, where the young boy, Ethan Villavicencio, succumbed to his injuries. His father and sister were reported to be in stable condition, according to Fox News.
"When he was in the ambulance, his mother said, 'Everything will be OK,' and he said, 'OK, mommy. I'll be here waiting for you,'" said Ethan's aunt, Taisha Alameda, at the Jacobi Medical Center, reported the New York Daily News.
The restaurant's owner, Shah Mohammed, said that the family was sitting at a booth located right next to the window when the car plowed into the eatery.
Oduro just sat inside the vehicle as people banged on the windows shouting and screaming that there were children under the car. He did not get out of the vehicle. Instead, he sped away from the accident scene. Bystanders chased the car and flagged down traffic agents who then took Oduro into custody after finding him at an intersection two blocks away.