2-month-old boy struck, gravely injured when car jumps curb

In what police are calling “a tragic accident,” a 2-month-old boy was hospitalized in grave condition Thursday after being struck by a car in downtown Los Angeles.

Capt. Todd Chamberlain of the LAPD said the driver of a Cadillac DeVille was attempting to park near 4th and Spring streets when he apparently hit the gas pedal rather than the brake and the car jumped the curb, striking a stroller with the infant inside.

The boy was taken to L.A. County-USC Medical Center. Chamberlain said the boy's mother was unhurt but was taken by police to the hospital to be with her son.

Chamberlain said it does not appear that drugs or alcohol were involved, but he said the driver was not wearing shoes.

“It doesn’t appear that he is going to be under arrest,” Chamberlain said of the driver, whose name was not released late Thursday.

The accident forced the closure of Spring Street from 4th to 5th streets, further snarling already heavy traffic due to the monthly Art Walk downtown. Police said the area was packed with people, with thousands on the streets and dozens of food trucks parked nearby.

Chamberlain said the accident remains under investigation.

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-- Sam Quinones