A 20-year-old Queens man has been indicted on manslaughter and other charges for allegedly running over a toddler in Flushing and dragging him roughly 10 feet before driving away, leaving him to die, prosecutors say.
Kevin Gomez, of Maspeth, is also accused of reckless driving, assault, leaving the scene of an incident without reporting and more offenses in the 14-count indictment tied to the Nov. 29 death of 3-year-old Quintus Chen.
Prosecutors say video surveillance shows Gomez park his vehicle in a no-standing zone on College Point Boulevard at 41st Avenue shortly before 7 p.m. that day. He walks into a Dunkin' Donuts, then returns to his car and drives off -- as the boy, who is walking with his father, steps off the curb in front of him, according to the indictment.
Gomez allegedly hit the 3-year-old, though video surveillance shows the boy's head cleared the top of the hood and he would have been visible to the man behind the wheel, prosecutors say. The driver moved forward, video shows, and Chen was thrown from the hood to the street underneath the vehicle, where he was dragged, before the driver fled.
Chen was pronounced dead at a hospital with severe head and neck trauma a short time later. Gomez's vehicle was later recovered about four blocks from the scene -- with blood on the driver's side kick board, according to the indictment -- and he was arrested the following day when he went to the local precinct to inquire about his vehicle.
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz condemned the defendant, who had only a learner's permit and was driving an unregistered vehicle, in a statement later Thursday.
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"There are few threats to public safety more lethal than an unlicensed driver operating an unregistered, uninsured vehicle at night with a windshield and windows tinted so dark you can barely see through them in broad daylight," Katz said. "We will show in court that the horrifying death of 3-year-old Quintus Chen was the result of the defendant's recklessness, irresponsibility and indifference to human life."
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Information on a possible attorney for Chen wasn't immediately available. He faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted.
