Driver Won't Face Charges In Fatal Brooklyn Hit-And-Run
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Police say no charges will be filed in a Brooklyn hit-and-run that left a little girl dead.
The 4-year-old girl was riding a pink scooter on the sidewalk on Hart Street in Bushwick Sunday when police say her shoe fell off.
Her mother bent down to put it back as police say a woman driving a black SUV was backing out of a laundromat parking spot and didn't see the child or her mother and hit both of them before driving off.
Officers caught up with the driver about two blocks away.
People from the neighborhood say they've complained about the laundromat parking lot before. Cars have no driveway access to the street, forcing people to drive onto the sidewalk to park. Parents stopped by a growing memorial with their kids as cars continued to park and back out onto the sidewalk.
CBS2's crew even observed one car jump the curb to do so. No city agency was able to verify whether or not the parking setup, so CBS2 took residents' concerns to Mayor Bill de Blasio.
"My heart goes out to the family at four-years-old that's particularly painful to lose someone so young," said the mayor. "I'll have my team look at this site and whatever we can do to make it safer, we certainly will."
On Monday several police officers showed up to the scene but didn't ticket anyone. A Department of Buildings inspector snapped photos of the site, and a department spokesperson says they'll investigate.
As for the laundromat, the manager says they have no plans to change its parking situation.
The DOB says it's looking into whether the parking spaces are legal, and may issue enforcement actions against the property owner.