Santa Ana police looking for hit-and-run driver who struck 7-year-old

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Police are searching for a hit-and-run driver who slammed into a girl in Santa Ana on Tuesday evening, sending the 7-year-old to a hospital with serious injuries.

Santa Ana police said Evelyn Lopez was walking with her mother on the sidewalk when she darted into the street about 5 p.m., KTLA reported. A dark SUV hit the girl, police said, dragging her 30 to 40 feet before fleeing the scene.

The accident was caught on multiple security cameras, footage from which shows the driver braking when the vehicle hits the girl, then braking again after she is thrown free.

‘That tells me that this individual more than likely knew that he hit something and he fled the scene,’ Cpl. Anthony Bertagna said.

Relatives said Evelyn remained in the hospital Tuesday night, where she was undergoing surgery to relieve swelling in her brain. She was listed in stable condition. The relatives said that when she was struck, she was trying to get to her apartment complex on the other side of the street because her brothers and sisters were there.

‘I don’t know what to say right now. It’s pretty crazy what happened,’ cousin Edward Rivas said. ‘We’re just waiting to hear news about her. We all care and we want to know what’s gonna happen to her.’

Bertagna said investigators believe the vehicle was a black Toyota 4Runner, and asked anyone with information to contact police.

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— KTLA