Toddler Hit By Drive-By In Dallas

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DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - Once upon a time, a speeding motorist told to slow down might respond with an obscene gesture or vulgar comment: that's relatively minor compared to the response a Dallas family received over the weekend.

Their house and yard sprayed with gunfire. A toddler was hit while held in his father's arms.

"Never did I think if I tell somebody to slow down, they're going to come back 10 minutes later and shoot up my house," says Megan Allman. A neighbor's house and yard were sprayed with gunfire after yelling at a driver to slow down. The toddler's father and an uncle were also injured. The 2 year old has undergone surgery and family members say he is doing well.

"It's sad that actually happened," says Allman. "I tell people to slow down all the time and to think that could happen to me or my kids… that's sad."

Family members tell us that the four men were riding in an older model Ford Taurus—likely maroon or burgundy. They passed the family in the 7000 block of Seco in Pleasant Grove as they were wrapping up a birthday celebration early Sunday. After the family yelled to slow down, the driver returned about 45 minutes later and opened fire. Police so far have not made any arrests in the case.

As for the speeding that initiated the altercation, Allman says it's an ongoing problem: and that's not all.

"They run the stop sign doing 50 or 60 through here and it's 30… and there's stop signs for a reason."

A closer look at the stop signs reveal another worry: someone regularly uses them for target practice. Neighbors say as soon as the stop signs are replaced, they are riddled with bullets. The obvious worry, of course, is what happens to the bullets that aren't stopped by the signs?

"It's scary. It's really scary."

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