'This is very tragic. It's very unfortunate': Police learn more about child killed by semi-truck
BATON ROUGE - A child was killed Monday night when a semi-truck drove through a small neighborhood off of Airline Highway.
Around 7:40 p.m., a semi-truck was driving east on Lindale Avenue, near the intersection of Cottondale Drive, where some children were playing outside.
When the truck driver approached the kids, police say he stopped and told the group to clear out of the street. The driver didn't know that when he began to move, he struck seven-year-old Suleiman Hamideh.
Surveillance video showed Hamideh riding his bicycle around the front of the truck before he disappeared on the driver's side of the semi. Police say the driver was traveling between 7 and 12 mph.
The driver initially drove off, not aware that he had hit anyone. Police tracked him down about two blocks away.
"This is very tragic, its very unfortunate," Cpl. Saundra Watts said. "We'd just like to keep this family in our prayers."
Anthony Patin owns a business on Lindale Avenue near where Hamideh died. He was on his way to it when he saw nearly a dozen Baton Rouge Police units parked at nearby homes.
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"The kids are always out," Patin said. "It's a community environment around here."
Police said they conducted a field sobriety test, which the driver passed. They are still waiting for the results from an official blood test.