Lake County – Around 3:15 p.m. today officers with the Whiting Police Department responded to the area of 119th Street and Indianapolis Boulevard in Whiting for a crash involving a semi truck and a child pedestrian. The Indiana State Police are investigating the crash at the request of the Whiting Chief of Police.
Officers arrived at the scene to find a young Hispanic male that reportedly had been struck and killed by a north bound semi truck as he attempted to cross Indianapolis Blvd. just south of 119th St. The child has been identified as 12 year old Angel Villafuerte.
A witness to the accident told police that the vehicle that was involved in the crash fled the scene north bound. A semi truck and driver of interest were located and stopped by Whiting officers a few miles from the scene and is currently being detained by the state police. State police detectives from the Lowell Post, as well as crash re-constructionists, and officers with the Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Division are still on scene and in the area continuing the investigation.
At this time no arrests have been made in the case. As more information becomes available it will be disseminated.
-30-
SMITH
