Man arrested in hit-and-run crash that injured 8-year-old boy

Dennis Cerrato, 19, arrested in Sept. 3 crash in Coral Gables

CORAL GABLES, Fla. – A 19-year-old man has been arrested in a hit-and-run crash that injured an 8-year-old boy in Coral Gables last week.

Dennis Cerrato was arrested Thursday on charges of leaving the scene of an accident involving an injury and leaving the scene of an accident involving property damage.

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According to an arrest report, Cerrato struck a boy, identified as Sebastian Ochoa, who was riding his bicycle on Sept. 3 in the 1100 block of South Greenway Drive.

Sebastian's father, Ismael Ochoa, who was jogging nearby, told police that he saw a white Honda Civic drive off the road onto the shoulder and yelled out to his son to "look out."

Police said Sebastian ran south on Greenway Drive in an attempt to avoid being hit. According to the report, Cerrato struck the bike and then drove back on the roadway and ran over Sebastian's leg with the car's left front tire.

Police said the boy suffered a broken leg and was taken to Nicklaus Children's Hospital. He has since been released from the hospital.

Detectives visited Cerrato at his home Thursday and said he told them, "I fell asleep and I knew I hit the boy. I didn't stay because I didn't want a confrontation with the father who was pissed."

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Jan. 21: Walter Reyes was killed and Henry Hernandez was injured in a hit-and-run crash while they were riding their bicycles on the Rickenbacker Causeway.


About the Author:

Amanda Batchelor is the Digital Executive Producer for Local10.com.