A 16-year-old girl is facing up to three years behind bars after being charged Monday with the July 1 hit-and-run of a cyclist and his young son.
The unidentified Santa Rosa girl was arraigned in juvenile court on felony hit-and-run charges for allegedly driving into 42-year-old Andrew Bennett and his 4-year-old son Robby as the pair took a morning ride through the Mission district, said District Attorney’s Office spokeswoman Erica Derryck.
The teen was released by the court “over the objection of objection of prosecutors and probation,” she said.
The girl turned herself in to San Francisco police Thursday. Prosecutors say she raced through a red light and struck Bennett and his son as they crossed the intersection of Valencia and 18th streets. Robby was on a tandem attachment to his father’s 10-speed, and the two were headed to the California Academy of Sciences, Bennett told The Examiner. Robby escaped uninjured, but Bennett fractured his back, according to police. Both were wearing helmets.
On Monday, San Francisco Bicycle Coalition Executive Director Leah Shahum said she hopes the driver is vigorously prosecuted. Several people witnessed the accident, but no one was able to give inspectors the entire license plate number. In the days after the incident, Bennett plastered the neighborhood with fliers asking more witnesses to come forward. Information was shared and forwarded online.
“I think people were really shocked by this incident, in particular because it involved a little boy and it was on Valencia [Street], which is an area that’s considered so bike-friendly,” Shahum said.
