Accused carjacker backs into child after she escapes vehicle in St. Petersburg
Mugshot of Hector Emmanuel Gomez Jimenez courtesy of the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Police arrested a St. Petersburg man they say hit a 10-year-old girl with a car he was trying to steal.
According to an arrest report, a woman got out of her green Toyota Avalon on 34th St. N. but left the car running. That’s when police say Hector Emmanuel Gomez Jimenez tried to steal the car.
The arrest report states that as he tried to back up he noticed the child sitting in the back seat. Police say he grabbed the girl by her shirt and told her to get out of the car.
According to police, when the girl exited, she ran behind the car to escape and Gomez Jimenez reversed the vehicle into her.
The incident was caught on camera and the suspect was identified on video and was wearing the same distinct pair of shoes when he was taken into custody, the arrest report stated. However, Gomez Jimenez denied any knowledge of the car.
He was charged with child abuse-aggravated battery-deadly weapon.