Police have made an arrest in a hit-and-run crash that injured an 8-year-old boy last Friday night.
Coral Gables Police on Friday announced the arrest of 19-year-old Dennis Jose Cerrato of Miami. The young man has been charged with leaving the scene of an accident with serious bodily injury and leaving the scene of an accident with property damage. He's been ordered held on $8,000 bond. It is not known if he has hired an attorney.
The crash happened around 6:40 p.m. Thursday in the 1100 block of South Greenway Drive.
Police say the vehicle, described as a white Honda Civic with a dark-colored hood, struck 8-year-old Sebastian Ochoa as he stood next to his bicycle.
Cerrato is accused of driving off in that car after hitting the boy.
A neighbor said she heard the boy's scream and came outside and found him on the ground about 40 feet from the bicycle.
"People drive around here after 4:00 like this was a highway, absolutely no care for anyone crossing, for kids or anything," said a resident in the area.
The boy's father, Ismael, saw the car strike his son. Sebastian was rushed to Nicklaus Children's Hospital with a broken leg. He has since been released from the hospital.
Police are thanking the public for their assistance with the investigation which led to Cerrato's arrest.
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They say a neighbor spotted Cerrato's car and tipped off police.
According to arrest documents, Cerrato told police he was falling asleep at the wheel when he hit the boy. He went on to say that he knew he had hit the child, but did not stop because the boy's father was visibly angry.
The boy's family said they're relieved an arrest was made. The boy is now home from the hospital.
