Man Kills 2-Year-Old Then Flees

A man tried to run over his ex-girlfriend with his pickup, but instead hit two children playing next door, killing a 2-year-old boy, police said.

Derrick McNeal, 36, fled after the crash Monday and abandoned his red Dodge pickup, and a search for him continued Tuesday, police said.

Police said McNeal saw his ex-girlfriend Tosha Shoundra Montgomery sitting outside a friend's house and tried to run her over. Instead, McNeal hit a car, ran over a fence, drove through the yard, hit the two children, bumped Montgomery and crashed into the house, police said.

Two-year-old Demontay J. Simmons died at the scene. Four-year-old Toshayla Hall was treated at a hospital and released, and Montgomery was treated at the scene for minor injuries, police said.

First-degree murder and attempted first-degree murder warrants were issued late Monday, said Sgt. Jim Contento, a police spokesman. Police were using dogs and helicopters in the search.

McNeal was previously wanted on charges of aggravated stalking and throwing a deadly missile into an occupied vehicle.