Girl, 2, Struck At Coddingtown Mall By Suspected DUI Driver: SRPD

SANTA ROSA, CA — A man with at least four previous DUI convictions was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving and hit-and-run in a pedestrian collision Thursday in front of Coddingtown Mall that left a 2-year-old girl with major injuries, police said. Within hours, Hector Cabrales Larios, 47, of Santa Rosa was tracked down and arrested in connection with the incident, according to the Santa Rosa Police Department.

Officers responded at 2:40 p.m. Thursday to several 911 calls about a toddler who was struck by a vehicle in front of 800 Coddingtown Center on Range Avenue, Santa Rosa police Sgt. Summer Gloeckner said.

The vehicle involved in the collision, identified as a white van, fled the scene.

Witnesses on scene reportedly ran to the child and began CPR until emergency personnel arrived.

The little girl was ultimately transported to the hospital with what appeared to be major injuries, Gloeckner said.

As officers immediately began searching for the suspect and his full-size van, an SRPD traffic accident investigator arrived and recognized the vehicle description from another hit-and-run that had occurred about a week ago in the same general area, the sergeant said.

Based on that information, officers responded to an apartment complex in the 1500 block of Range Avenue and reportedly found a van matching the vehicle description of Thursday's hit-and-run.

Investigators contacted Larios, the owner of a white 1995 GMC full-size van, and during an interview determined he was intoxicated while he was driving the van, Gloeckner said.

Larios, who has three prior misdemeanor convictions for DUI and a felony conviction for DUI within the last six years, was arrested.

Sonoma County jail records show Larios' bail was set at $300,000 pending a court appearance set for Monday afternoon.

Police said the child was expected to survive her injuries.

"Her name will not be released due to her age," Gloeckner said. "It appeared by witness accounts that she had run into traffic suddenly when the incident happened and was not in a crosswalk at the time of the collison."

Bay City News Service contributed to this report.