Street Gang Life

A Maryland woman accidentally backed her SUV over five children, killing her eight-year-old daughter and putting her toddler son in hospital. Anna Marie Cruz-Lopez, 33, put the large vehicle in reverse and accelerated while the children were playing in the driveway of her Lewisdale home at about 8.45pm on Thursday, according to Prince George’s County Police. Her daughter, Natalie Hernandez Cruz, died after being struck by the car. The other children, ranging in age from 18 months to 11 years and including her two-year-old son, were taken to Children’s National Medical Center in Washington with critical injuries. At least one child, believed to be an 11-year old who does not belong to Cruz-Lopez, remains in critical condition at the hospital. The toddler, a six-year-old and a seven-year-old are being treated for minor injuries. The woman was taken into custody but has not been charged. She is still being interviewed by police who are investigating how the devastating accident happened. Neighbors rushed to help the young victims before paramedics arrived, with one videoing the aftermath of the horrific scene on an iPhone. ‘The woman tried to stop the car and then instead of stopping it she did it by accident and reversed it more and that is when all the damage was done,’ a witness told ABC 7. The children were struck or pinned under the large vehicle, which continued on down the driveway and got lodged in the garage. Some of them were trapped under bricks from the home. The lady was in the vehicle, backed up, and five children were struck,’ Lt. David Lloyd told the station. ‘The vehicle continued and lodged into the garage that is in the rear portion of the house. Drugs and alcohol have been ruled out as factors in the accident. According to police, the driver was set to be evicted from the apartment she rents in the basement of a home where the accident took place. She was outside arguing with the landlord and had reported the dispute to police prior to the devastating accident. Cruz-Lopez left and came back 20 minutes later, striking the children as she backed into the driveway.