By Fox News:
An illegal immigrant – who had been deported 15 times – is accused of seriously injuring a 6-year-old boy in a Saturday night drunken driving hit-and-run crash, authorities said.
Constantino Banda-Acosta, a 38-year-old Mexican citizen, was kicked out of the U.S. 15 times in the past 15 years, with his most previous deportation coming Jan. 18, federal officials told The San Diego Union-Tribune.
Banda-Acosta is accused of running a stop sign in the San Ysidro hit-and-run. He was taken into custody, about a half hour after the crash occurred, along with another man who was also an illegal immigrant.
The injured boy, Lennox Lake, was coming home from Disneyland with his family on Saturday, and the group was about a block from their home when the collision happened.
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DUI suspect in hit-run crash that left boy, 6, badly hurt was deported 15 times
A drunken driving suspect in a hit-and-run crash that severely injured a 6-year-old boy in San Ysidro over the weekend had been deported from the U.S. at least 15 times, authorities said Tuesday.
Constantino Banda-Acosta, 38, was last deported Jan. 18, with at least 14 prior cases since 2002, federal authorities said.
Banda-Acosta is accused of speeding west on Camino de La Plaza, running a stop sign at Dairy Mart Road and slamming his pickup into a Honda Accord about 11:30 p.m. Saturday. The pickup driver did not stop.
Banda-Acosta, a Mexican citizen, was arrested about half an hour later, San Diego police and the U.S. Border Patrol said.
The car that was struck was occupied by a family driving home after a day trip to Disneyland. They were a block away from their home when the crash occurred, a relative said.
The speeding Chevrolet Silverado hit the driver and passenger’s side where the boy, Lennox Lake, was sitting in his car seat, said his grandmother, Cheryl Lake.
The boy’s father, Benjamin, became trapped. His wife, Ingrid, crawled out of the front passenger seat and rushed to aid Lennox, who was unconscious, not breathing and bleeding from his nostrils, ears and head, his grandmother said.
The child suffered a major head injury and was taken to a hospital. As of Tuesday night, he had undergone two surgeries at Rady Children’s Hospital, Cheryl Lake said.
Despite a long road ahead, his family and doctors are “cautiously optimistic” the boy will make a full recovery, his grandmother said.
She described Lennox as a friendly and smart boy.
“The kid makes friends everywhere he goes. He’s just a delight as a grandson,” Cheryl Lake said, fighting back tears.
Lennox has two older brothers, 14 and 16, who did not join the family on the trip to Disneyland. His family set up a GoFundMe page to raise funds for the medical bills and other expenses.
Soon after the collision, Border Patrol agents came upon the family’s wrecked Honda and fanned out in search of the hit-and-run driver.
Soon after the collision, Border Patrol agents came upon the family’s wrecked Honda and fanned out in search of the hit-and-run driver.
A few blocks away, shortly after midnight, agents found a damaged pickup that matched the description Ingrid Lake gave them. Inside were two men, who were detained.
To read rest of article and related articles visit The San Diego Union-Tribune.