NEW ORLEANS — Police officers arrested a suspect for a Kenner hit and run that left an 8-year-old with a fractured skull Sunday.
The child was on a battery-powered bicycle leaving Kenner City Park with a family member. The child tried to cross the street, a police spokesperson said.
That's when a Jeep hit the child in the 600 block of Vintage Drive. It was 6:35 p.m. Kenner police officers were on the scene five minutes later.
Juan Orellana, 43, was arrested for the hit and run. The child is still in the hospital.
Witnesses told police that Orellana stopped the Jeep after he hit the child. The driver got out, walked to the back of the vehicle, and saw someone on the ground, a release said.
The Kenner Police Department asked the public for help finding the vehicle the suspect was driving — and they got it.
Among the witnesses, one followed the Jeep to the South Lake Village subdivision and got a photo. KPD officers later went to the same subdivision to find the Jeep.
"Based on witnesses' description of the suspect and evidence found on the vehicle in front of the residence, the owner of the vehicle was arrested," the release said. "Kenner Police Chief Michael Glaser commends the actions of witnesses on scene and credits them with assisting the Kenner Police in making a swift arrest in this horrific accident."
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