CUMBERLAND, Ind. — A Cumberland man allegedly denied having any knowledge of a deadly hit-and-run crash as police continue to investigate the tragic incident that left a 6-year-old dead.
FOX59/CBS4 has obtained a probable cause affidavit, which was filed in Marion County on Tuesday, that has shed new light on the events leading up to the deadly incident.
Initial investigation
The release of the affidavit marks the latest development in the case after Cumberland police announced the arrest of a 22-year-old Tyler Johnson on Monday. Johnson is accused of striking 6-year-old Jari Vontae Spencer early Sunday morning and leaving the scene of the crash.
The initial investigation began around 2:37 a.m. when a clerk at a Speedway Gas Station in the area flagged an officer after observing an unresponsive child lying in the roadway in the 11500 block of East Washington Street.
The officer reported observing the child bleeding from his head, nose and mouth. The officer could not locate a pulse and began to provide CPR until medics could arrive on the scene and continue providing medical treatment.
Another witness told police that she had just exited the Meijer and turned eastbound onto East Washington Street when she recalled observing a pair of shoes in the right-hand lane. The witness said she then observed a child lying on the ground in front of the Speedway entrance and proceeded to contact 911.
As the investigation unfolded, police learned after speaking with the victim’s parents that the child had “severe autism,” was non-verbal and required constant care.
They reportedly told police that they fell asleep earlier that evening around 11:30 p.m. When they woke up a few hours later, they learned that the front door to the apartment was open and that their child was missing, the affidavit said.
License plate readers, surveillance footage help police find suspect
Investigators then obtained video footage from the Speedway Gas Station, which appeared to show the child running across East Washington Street around 2:30 a.m. Around the same time, police observed a silver Chevrolet Aveo in the area at the same location and time as when the child was struck.
Police noted in court documents that the driver of the vehicle appeared to step on the brakes slightly after impact before continuing to travel eastbound on East Washington Street.
Police then utilized license plate readers to identify the vehicle’s model and corresponding information as they worked to conduct a traffic stop on the suspect’s vehicle. The following day, an officer saw a vehicle matching the description exit the parking lot of 10th Street Pub and a shopping center. The officer began to follow the vehicle as it turned south on Mitthoeffer Road and westbound on East Washington Street.
However, court documents revealed that Johnson managed to avoid detection by accelerating out of the area at a high rate of speed.
Detectives then paid a visit to the registered owner of the vehicle, who reportedly told them that he had sold the vehicle to Johnson two weeks prior. He explained that Johnson had not picked up the title from him to re-register the vehicle and provided the vehicle’s title as he cooperated with the police.
Around 1:24 p.m. on Monday, officers observed the Aveo again in the 1400 block of North Cumberland Road. Police then conducted a traffic stop and made contact with Johnson for the first time.
They reportedly observed a “large dent” in the hood of the vehicle and damage to the front bumper. The man who sold the vehicle to Johnson later told officers that there was no damage to the vehicle when he initially sold it to him.
Johnson was then transported to the Cumberland Police Station, where they conducted an interview with him. Johnson proceeded to tell police that nobody had borrowed the vehicle over the weekend and that he had recently purchased it from an acquaintance.
He claimed that he worked the entire weekend in his parents’ neighborhood and “didn’t go anywhere else.” When directly asked if he was driving the Aveo during the early morning hours on Sunday, he simply said “no,” according to the affidavit.
Police then presented video surveillance showing his vehicle heading eastbound on East Washington Street. Court documents show that Johnson admitted that it was him and that he was heading home after visiting his storage unit.
A short time later, Johnson allegedly told police that he recalled hitting “something” but that he didn’t know what it was. When questioned why he didn’t stop to check, Johnson reportedly said he thought at the time “it was just an animal” and that he “didn’t know he needed to stop.”
Next steps
Johnson was booked into the Marion County Jail on Monday on a preliminary charge of leaving the scene of a crash that resulted in catastrophic injury or death. It is a level 4 felony.
At this time, it remains unclear if alcohol or drugs played any role in the crash since nearly 40 hours had elapsed between the incident and Johnson being placed under arrest.
