Suspect arrested for Upland hit-and-run that killed 11-year-old

UPLAND, Calif. (KABC) -- A suspect has been arrested for a hit-and-run that killed an 11-year-old boy who was walking to school in Upland.

Authorities say Isaiah Shelton-Dobine was struck by a white Jeep Cherokee at the intersection of Arrow Highway and Benson Avenue shortly before 8 a.m.

Witnesses immediately called 911, and paramedics rushed the sixth-grader to a local hospital with major injuries. He was pronounced dead a short time later.

"I'm angry. I'm frustrated. I'm hurt. How do I help my daughter and her family get through this?" said grandmother Tamara Strong.

Shelton-Dobine was in a crosswalk on his way to Cabrillo Elementary School when he was hit. The vehicle made no attempt to stop and render aid, police said, and fled eastbound on Arrow Highway.

A man in Victorville was watching TV when he learned about the incident at about 1:30 p.m. Police say the man recognized the Jeep as the one he rented for his son. When asked where the Jeep was, the son said he let his friend borrow it.

The father then called Upland police, who went to the friend's apartment complex and found the damaged Jeep. Officers arrested the friend, whose name has not been released yet.

Click here to help the family with funeral costs

The devastated family gathered near the spot where the young boy was hit. They say he was looking forward to getting to school.

"He didn't get to see junior high; he didn't get to see high school. He didn't get to experience none of this now because you took him away from us," said stepfather Vincent Vega.