4-year-old dies after stolen SUV crashed into father’s car

ATLANTA — A 4-year-old boy has died a day after police said a stolen SUV slammed into his father’s car.

The Fulton County medical examiner’s office confirmed the boy’s death to Channel 2 Action News Thursday. The victim’s name has not been released. The father remains in critical condition.

The crash happened around 4:30 p.m. Wednesday off Lakewood Avenue in southeast Atlanta when a Honda SUV crashed into the family’s Lexus head on.

Family members at the scene told Thomas the father and son lived only a few blocks away and were heading back to their house.

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Police told Channel 2 Action News that the SUV was reported stolen out of DeKalb County. Officers got an alert from a tag reader about the SUV being spotted a couple of miles south of downtown.

Officers swarmed to try to stop them, but the SUV sped off and ended with the fiery and deadly crash on Lakewood Avenue.

“It was just like a big thud, like a boom,” neighbor Jacqueline Jenkins told Channel 2′s Steve Gehlbach. “Just kind of scared me. It was overwhelming cause saw police running with guns and boys getting out of the car.”

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Police said there were six young men into the stolen SUV. Four of them ran away from the scene. The other two were treated and detained at the scene.

“One boy got out and was like, ‘I didn’t do anything, didn’t do anything,’” Jenkins said.

Atlanta police announced charges against two people on Thursday. Police said the driver of the stolen SUV is 15 years old. The driver is charged with theft by receiving stolen property and was released to a parent.

Demarcus Laney, 17, is charged with possession of a firearm under the age of 18 and was released on a citation.

The crash is still under investigation and charges are pending. Atlanta police have not confirmed if officers were actively chasing the stolen SUV, only that the SUV saw police and took off.

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