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INDIANAPOLIS — A 6-year-old boy is dead after a hit-and-rush crash in Cumberland early Sunday morning. Police confirmed they arrested a 22-year-old man Monday afternoon for his alleged role in the incident.
(NOTE: 13News has a policy to not name suspects until formal charges are filed by prosecutors.)
Cumberland police said the crash happened around 2:35 a.m. June 7 when someone flagged down an officer in the 11500 block of East Washington Street, near North German Church Road.
The person told police it looked like someone was lying in the road. Officers then found the child, who they say appeared to have been hit by a car. Officers began CPR before the child was transported to Riley Hospital, where the child was pronounced dead.
The Marion County Coroner’s Office identified the child as 6-year-old Jari Vontae Spencer.
Police say they believe the child was diagnosed with autism, was non-verbal and lived in the area. They think sometime during the night, the child was able to get out of his home without anyone knowing and wandered into East Washington Street. That’s where police say the child was hit by a car, but the driver wasn’t at the scene.
In an update Monday afternoon, June 8, Cumberland police announced the arrest of a 22-year-old man during a traffic stop.
“Over the last 37 hours since this incident happened, our team, which is comprised of investigators and patrol officers, worked very hard to sift through any video that we’ve had, follow up any lead, and we are proud to say that we’ve been able to make an arrest this afternoon,” said Cumberland Police Capt. Mark Waggoner.
According to police, businesses in the area and license plate readers provided video footage that helped them identify the suspect vehicle.
“We, again, believe this was an accident. I do not believe this was an intentional thing. (The driver) did, however, fail to stay at the scene,” Waggoner said. “It’s imperative if he would have stopped, I think this would have been a very different situation.”
As investigators searched for answers, a growing memorial outside Cumberland City Hall marked the spot where the child lost his life.
“His mom told me that they go to the park across the street, they go to Dollar Tree together, they walk there together, and walk back home, and that’s pretty much what he knows and from the video it looks like that’s where he went and was probably attracted to something on the side of the road and decided to cross,” Waggoner said.
Anyone with additional information is asked to reach out to the Cumberland Metropolitan Police Department at 317-894-3525 or Crime Stoppers at 317-262-8477.
