Boy, 7, fatally struck by pickup truck while crossing street with his father in Long Beach

Wednesday, July 27, 2022
LONG BEACH, Calif. (KABC) -- A 7-year-old boy crossing a Long Beach street with his father was hit by a pickup truck and killed, and the Riverside County man driving the vehicle was arrested, police said Wednesday.

The boy died at the scene of the crash, which occurred at about 5:22 p.m. Tuesday in the area of Lakewood Boulevard and 23rd Street, according to the Long Beach Police Department.
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James Barnes, 57, of Desert Hot Springs was booked on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence, police said.

Long Beach police said their investigation revealed Barnes was driving a 2005 Dodge Ram pickup truck westbound on 23rd Street and made a left turn onto Lakewood Boulevard.

The father and the boy were walking in a marked crosswalk when the truck hit them, police said.

"The father and juvenile were in the crosswalk with the right-of-way pedestrian signal when the incident occurred," police said in a news release.



Barnes remained at the scene and was arrested, police said.
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Long Beach police said alcohol, drugs and distracted driving were not believed to be a factor in the crash.

Anyone with information on the case was urged to call Detective Joseph Johnson or Detective Kevin Johansen at 562-570-7355.

City News Service contributed to this report.

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