Man Fleeing Police in Stolen Kia Accused of Hitting, Killing 4-Year-Old Playing in Grass by His Mother, Cops Say

A 4-year-old boy in Ohio was playing in the yard outside his apartment building when he was struck and killed by a stolen vehicle, according to authorities.

Around 9 p.m. on July 22, the boy was with his mother in the grassy area behind the building in the Columbus neighborhood when a Kia jumped the curb and hit him, WSYX reported.

The driver got out of the car and fled the scene, officials said.

Brian Toth, Vice President of the Fraternal Order of Police, explained that "there are many factors" behind why police did not chase after the suspect.

"People, is it busy, traffic, road conditions and those officers used discretion and did not bother pursuing this individual," he said.

Instead, officers rushed the child to Nationwide Children’s Hospital, where he died a short time later.

Police identified the driver as 24-year-old Tyrell Shute and said he turned himself on July 23, WSYX reported.

Court documents state police tried to stop Shute a few minutes before the fatal crash occurred. Police reportedly spotted a 2015 Kia Soul that had been reported stolen, but the driver fled the scene and recklessly drove through the apartment complex, where he hit the child, WSYX reported.

Around 11 a.m. on July 23, Shute allegedly called police and told them where to find him. He was arrested without incident and charged with aggravated vehicular homicide, police said.

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The suspect was arraigned on July 24, and he was being held on $250,000 bond, officials said. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for August 2.