A suspect in a theft at a Bucks County Walmart stepped over his 2-year-old son's body and left him to die on the road as he fled the scene of a crash in Tullytown Tuesday afternoon, according to police.
"Here we had a simple retail theft where we would have answered to some charges turned into a fatality," Tullytown Police Chief Daniel Doyle said.
The ordeal began shortly after noon at a Walmart store at the Levittown Town Center. Christopher Kuhn, 27, of Hamilton, New Jersey, allegedly took $228 worth of merchandise and then left the store without paying as security personnel tried to detain him.
Kuhn was holding his 2-year-old son in his arms as he left the store and Tullytown Police were called to the scene, according to a probable cause affidavit.
Theft Suspect Charged in Crash That Killed 2-Year-Old Son
Kuhn, driving on a suspended New Jersey license, drove away in his Jeep with his son inside before officers arrived. A witness told police Kuhn had let the boy climb into the SUV while he covered the SUV's license plate with a sweatshirt. The witness also said the boy climbed into the rear driver's side of the Jeep but Kuhn never secured him into a child safety seat.
Despite not being chased, Kuhn ran a red light on Route 13 and crashed into two vehicles, investigators said. The impact caused the SUV to roll over several times and the boy was thrown from the vehicle onto the roadway. According to the affidavit, Kuhn ran away on foot after the crash, pausing to look at his son on the roadway before fleeing.
"The suspect then stepped over the child who was laying in the roadway and fled the scene," Chief Doyle said. "Officers apprehended him a short distance from the crash."
NBC10 obtained video of an officer taking a man, identified by police as Kuhn, from a wooded area and leading him away in handcuffs.
Viewer video of Walmart theft suspect accused of stepping over 2-year-old boy's body while fleeing a crash scene: https://t.co/5O6GJJvfqZpic.twitter.com/iipO1D02f0
— NBC10 Philadelphia (@NBCPhiladelphia) October 4, 2017
Other officers performed CPR on the unresponsive boy.
"They tried reviving the little boy," said Mike Dormer. "I witnessed that. It was awful to see as well."
The child was then taken to Lower Bucks Hospital where he was pronounced dead. No one else was hurt in the crash.
Bucks County Deputy District Attorney Robert James told NBC10 Kuhn was uncooperative when he was taken into custody and would not reveal whether or not the boy was his son. Investigators later confirmed however that Kuhn was the child's father.
Theft Suspect Charged in Death of 2-Year-Old Boy Who Was Ejected from Vehicle
Kuhn was taken to the hospital for an evaluation but was not injured. He was arraigned Tuesday night and charged with third-degree murder, homicide by vehicle, accidents involving death or injury while not properly licensed, retail theft, endangering the welfare of children, recklessly endangering another person, reckless driving, driving on a suspended license and running a red light. His preliminary hearing is set for Oct. 10. His bail is set at $5 million cash.
Court records don't list an attorney who could comment on Kuhn's behalf.
Route 13 was closed between Levittown Parkway and Haines Road for about six hours.
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Walmart Thief Leaves 2-Year-Old Son to Die on Road as He Flees Scene of Crash: Police"
Post a Comment