A woman in her early 30s is critically injured after being struck by a car in East Oakland that local authorities say was being driven by two children who took their parents\u2019 vehicle, multiple Bay Area outlets reported.<\/p>\n
Local news organizations report that the crash occurred Thursday morning on 35th Avenue near Mangels Avenue, several blocks from the boys\u2019 home. Oakland police and surveillance footage cited by reporters show a white Toyota sedan traveling north on 35th Avenue that sideswiped a southbound vehicle and then collided with a pedestrian who was walking a friend\u2019s dog.<\/p>\n
Sources differ slightly on exact timing: KRON4 reports the crash happened around 9:30 a.m., while ABC7 reported it occurred just after 9 a.m. Witnesses and video reviewed by reporters show the boys lying on the sidewalk after the collision and the pedestrian being rushed to a hospital.<\/p>\n
Local outlets identify the pedestrian as Kiara Darvonne Bowling, 31. Her family told ABC7 and KTVU she is at Highland Hospital with multiple brain bleeds and facial fractures and was preparing for multiple surgeries. KTVU and ABC7 describe Bowling as a student at California State University, East Bay and active in local pageants; her family has set up a GoFundMe to help cover medical expenses, according to those reports.<\/p>\n
Reports describe the vehicle occupants as two brothers under age 10. Accounts vary slightly on the children\u2019s ages: ABC7 and KRON4 quoted ages as 7 and 4 or roughly 6 and 4; KTVU reported the boys as about 6 and 4. Local outlets say both children were taken to a pediatric hospital with injuries: ABC7 and KRON4 report the older boy suffered broken legs and the younger a concussion; ABC7 reported both were at UCSF Benioff Children\u2019s Hospital and KTVU said they were in stable condition.<\/p>\n
Multiple reports say the boys accessed the car while their parents were asleep. KTVU quoted a source close to the boys\u2019 family saying the older child found car keys in his father\u2019s pockets, then woke his younger brother and used a kitchen chair to unlatch the front door before getting into the Toyota. ABC7 likewise reported the parents told police they were sleeping and that the boys somehow obtained the keys. Local outlets say the family\u2019s vehicle is used by a parent who works as an Uber driver.<\/p>\n
Oakland police told reporters they are questioning the parents and that the family is cooperating with the investigation. Authorities have not announced any criminal charges publicly. Legal analysts cited by ABC7 and KTVU noted that California law generally presumes children under 12 cannot form criminal intent, which makes prosecution of the boys unlikely; however, analysts said parents could face civil liability or investigation for potential neglect.<\/p>\n
Former prosecutor Steven Clark, quoted by ABC7, described the situation as highly unusual and said the law lacks a simple remedy for such cases. KTVU\u2019s legal analyst Michael Cardoza also said the boys are unlikely to face charges but that legal scrutiny of the parents remains possible.<\/p>\n