Repeat DWI offender accused of running over 6-year-old child three times, killing him

HOUSTON — A Texas man is charged with murder and driving while intoxicated after police said he ran over a young child three times and then tried to flee the scene.

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Houston Police announced the arrest of Pedro Alberto Hernandez in a news release on Monday. Hernandez is accused of hitting and killing a 6-year-old boy in the parking lot of a Houston shopping center on Saturday afternoon.

The child, identified as Darien Lewis, was crossing the street with his grandfather and other children when he was hit, KTRK reported.

“He came in on my left side and hit my grandson. That’s how close he was to me,” Dana Hubbard, Darien’s grandfather, told KTRK. “I was able to hit his car to let him know what happened. I ran around and I said, ‘You just hit my grandson.’ He stopped, he backed up, drove over my grandson again, and stopped his truck on his head.”

Hubbard told police who responded that Hernandez smirked at him and tried to drive away, KPRC reported.

“I swung out on him because he was laughing and thought it was funny,” Hubbard told KTRK.

Houston police said officers determined that Hernandez was intoxicated at the scene. Court documents obtained by KHOU say that Hernandez admitted to drinking four 16-ounce beers before hitting the child.

Court records indicate that Hernandez was jailed for 30 days in 2015 for DWI, was convicted of DWI a year later, and was convicted of a third DWI in 2020, KPRC reported. Hernandez is still on probation for the 2020 conviction.

“They let him get away,” Hubbard told KTRK. “The buck has to stop somewhere. Someone has to be accountable for their actions. No more slap on the wrist.”

If convicted, Hernandez could face life in prison, KHOU reported.

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