An Ohio man, aged 55, has been apprehended by law enforcement after allegedly hitting a 9-year-old girl with his Hummer SUV while she was cycling across a crosswalk. The man reportedly dragged the child for several blocks before fleeing the scene. The girl survived the incident but sustained severe injuries, including the loss of the lower part of her left leg.
Jeffrey Jay Atkinson was arrested last month and faces charges including two counts of vehicular assault, child endangerment, failure to stop after an accident, and operating a vehicle while impaired. The charges were announced in a statement from the Dayton County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.
On the night of July 22, a Dayton Police Department officer was alerted by a passerby about a vehicle dragging a girl underneath it on Keowee Street. Shortly after, the police received multiple 911 calls reporting the same incident. Among the callers was the girl’s mother, who reported that her daughter had been hit by a vehicle while riding her bike and had become entangled in the wheels.
The police found the victim and called for medical assistance to the intersection of Wayne Avenue and Clover Street, approximately 200 miles southwest of Cleveland, Ohio. The officers on the scene applied tourniquets to the girl’s legs, both of which had sustained severe injuries.
A witness who had called 911 reported that he was following the suspect’s vehicle. The vehicle was soon located at the Cowboy Lido Bike Stop Bar on Springfield Street, about 3.5 miles from where the victim was found. Atkinson was identified as the suspect by multiple witnesses at the scene.
When police attempted to conduct a field sobriety test, Atkinson confessed that he was “too drunk to pass.” Bodycam footage shows Atkinson exiting the bar with his hands raised, appearing off balance, and admitting to being the owner of the Hummer parked outside.
Bystanders at the scene expressed their anger towards Atkinson, with one hoping he would face a long jail term. When police informed Atkinson they would be conducting tests to determine his level of impairment, he responded that there was no need as he was already impaired.
Atkinson was then taken into custody and transported to the Montgomery County Jail, where he is currently being held on a $500,000 bond.