Cops: Tow Truck Driver Dragged Toddlers ¼ Mile

(AP)  Police say a tow truck driver has been accused of hitting two young children as their mother pushed them across a street in a stroller then dragging the kids under the truck for about a quarter of a mile.

Oxnard Police Sgt. Randy Latimer says the truck struck 19-year-old Alma Lopez Tuesday morning in a crosswalk, knocking her to the ground.

The truck continued on, dragging the children - a 3-year-old girl and a 1-year-old boy - and the stroller until witnesses chased and flagged down the driver.

Latimer says the driver, Mehran Khamseh of Santa Barbara, was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of drugs.

The children are hospitalized in critical condition. Lopez's injuries were described as moderate.

[xybex2004]

I am so grateful to the people who stopped this birdbrain from almost killing these 2 kids. I am so livid right now. So now it's the new Jihad--committing Jihad under the guise of drugs and drinking...like xanax and liquor. Now he's going to blame it all on the drugs. Deport them all!! We have seen enough...it will never stop...they have waged war against the world for 5,000 years, and they will continue to do so for another 5,000 years. Mark my words. They insist on having 5 to 10 kids, then resort to violence.

[Aine57]

Nowhere in this article is it stated that the driver is a foreign national -- unless you think that Santa Barbara in south of the U.S. border. I don't know if he had any kids of his own or not. I don't know what his ancestry is or the land of his birth; do you have information to which the rest of us are not privy? There are plenty of native-born Americans who abuse prescription drugs and alcohol, by the way. Acts as heinous as the one in question occur frequently at the hands of people born here AND the hands of people born elsewhere.

[msay3]

OMG!!!! How Horrible!!! My prayers are with the two babies and their mother!!!!

[askagain]

Aren't knee jerk reactions great? Think about a tow truck versus a mother with small children. The driver is in a large truck up in the air with possible blind spots. What if it turns out that the driver wasn't on drugs or alcohol? Have any of you heard of a thing called accidents. There have been a number of cases where people have been dragged by cars while the driver was unaware of it happening. Why not wait until the details are known and show compassion to both the accident victims and the driver if it was an accident without carelessness and/or drugs or acohol?

[justice_1965]

justice_1965 aka Benton: I have no compassion whgen it comes to hurting children! The Tow Truck driver should have known the mother was pushing her children across the street and should have shown some respect by driving slow. So I say if he was driving dui or dud (under drugs) put him away and make him think about what he did. I say he was DUD and playing the radio or tap real loud. If those children die, they should kill him also. I pray that the children and their mother will be ok. I ask God to pave the way for them to come together very soon!

[grayfrier]

What are you NUTS! every Driver out on the road is responsible for his actions regardless of being on Booze or Drugs he had a responsibility to be in control of his Vehicle at all times and to be a supposed CDL driver that comes ten fold he is supposed to be a Professional Driver.
To run down this Mother and her Babies is inexcusable and unprofessional.
And yes you must be a CDL Class B driver to drive a tow truck.
And as a Pro he Blew it big time and as far as I know when a person steps into the crosswalk they have the right of way this driver and I use that term very loosely did not follow the Law so no matter what he is at fault.

[burtwoody]

Just shoot the S.O.B.!

[Overruled1]

Keel-hull him.

[enough-already]

It's keel-HAUL, not hull.

[lilbear925]

This fellow should be very old by the time he is released from prison.

[lDude23]

I don't know how judges do it and sentence according to the law. I would sentence this jerk to being dragged for 4 miles and then slowly torchure him to death.