Inset (top): Lachevis Finnie (Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department). Inset (bottom): Mariana Espinoza (Facebook). Background: The car Lachevis Finnie was allegedly driving when Mariana Espinoza was killed (Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department).
A North Carolina teenager faces a felony charge after police said he hit a 6-year-old girl with his car and left the scene.
Lachevis Finnie, 17, was charged on Monday with felony hit-and-run causing death after police said he was the driver responsible for the death of 6-year-old Mariana Espinoza. According to a press release from the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department, officers responded to reports of a crash on Friday at 3:21 p.m. involving a child being hit by a car that fled the scene. When officers arrived, they found Mariana with life-threatening injuries.
Local CBS affiliate WBTV reported that Mariana, a student at Devonshire Elementary School, had just gotten off the school bus when she was hit. She died of her injuries the next day.
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Police said several cameras caught the suspect’s vehicle, a gray, 2013 Mercedes-Benz C250 with temporary tags and “heavy damage to the front grill.” According to an arrest affidavit reviewed by Law&Crime, police tracked the car down on Monday and conducted a traffic stop. Finnie, who does not have a valid driver’s license, was behind the wheel.
According to the affidavit, Finnie told police that on the day of the alleged hit-and-run, “something ran out in front of his car and a collision occurred.” He allegedly admitted to police that he fled the scene because he was “scared.” Police said Finnie was cooperating with the investigation.
Finnie was arrested and booked into jail. During a court appearance on Tuesday, he was granted a $2.5 million secured bond and was ordered to undergo a mental health evaluation.
His next court appearance was scheduled for Nov. 17.
The post Teen in Mercedes-Benz ran over 6-year-old girl who just got off the school bus: Police first appeared on Law & Crime.
