Man charged in hit-and-run that killed baby, injured mother had 91 speed violations
CLINTON HILL, Brooklyn (WABC) -- A man is charged with attempted robbery and other charges following a hit-and-run crash that killed a three-month-old girl and critically injured her mother in Brooklyn Saturday.
Tyrik Mott, 28, was arraigned on charges of attempted robbery, grand larceny, and resisting arrest.
Mott was ordered held on $100,000 cash bail or $200,000 partially secured bond at his arraignment Sunday night.
Officials said a 2017 Honda Civic with two men inside was traveling in the wrong direction on Gates Avenue in the Clinton Hill section around 6:30 p.m. Saturday.
The Civic hit a second vehicle near Vanderbilt Avenue and the crash sent that second vehicle careening towards the sidewalk where the 33-year-old mother and the father were walking with their daughter in a stroller.
"My cousin heard the impact and we went to the window and we heard huge screams of 'oh my God,' and then there was a woman lying down on the floor," witness Anne Sophie Plume said. "We thought that it was a hit-and-run because there was just running everywhere. So we knew it was serious, it was pretty horrible."
The father's piercing cries for help for his baby is something another witness tells Eyewitness News, he'll never forget.
"He was frantic going back and forth with the baby in his arms, the baby was limp, he didn't know what to do -- just so devastated by it. Obviously, you can't imagine something like that happening," witness Mike Hill said.
The three-month-old baby was pronounced dead at Brooklyn Hospital Center while her mother is in critical condition at New York - Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital.
A 36-year-old man was also struck and taken to Brooklyn Hospital.
A 49-year-old woman was driving the second vehicle, she was also taken to the hospital, but wasn't serious injured and she won't be facing charges in the crash.
Mott, the driver of the Civic was taken into custody and charged, but police are still searching for another suspect that was also in the car.
Mott was arraigned only in relation to the carjacking. He will likely face additional charges connected to the three-month-old's death as soon as Monday.
Police say the attempted robbery charge against Mott happened after the initial crash.
They say Mott attempted to steal another vehicle to evade police at the scene right after the crash.
Mayoral candidate and Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams said Mott had racked up 91 school zone speeding violations since 2017 - 35 of those were in 2021 alone.
The vehicle has 14 red light violations since 2017, including five times this year. The vehicle has 160 violations in total.
Mayor Bill de Blasio was asked about the tragedy on Monday during his press conference and he said, "Our laws in this state are still too lax when it comes to reckless drivers, there's a chance to fix this now, we need help in Albany."
He called on the state legislature to finish passing the Crash Victims Rights and Safety Act and for Governor Hochul to sign it.
"There is something broken in the law because if you hurt someone with a car it should be no different than if you do it with a weapon," Mayor de Blasio said.
The fatal hit-an-run capped off a deadly weekend in which a total of six people were killed in crashes and at least five others were injured.
"We're furious and heartbroken by the deadly and daily occurrence of traffic violence on Mayor de Blasio's streets," said Danny Harris, Executive Director of Transportation Alternatives. "The deadliest year under Mayor de Blasio's tenure shows no sign of letting up after crashes killed six people, including a three-month-old baby, over the weekend."
These crashes pushed the total number of people killed in traffic violence in 2021 to 188.
ALSO READ | Human error, not power surge, caused massive NYC subway outage, investigations find
----------
* Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts
Submit a News Tip
