BRADENTON, Fla. — Authorities say a Manatee County man accidentally ran over a 9-year-old with a car while trying to intentionally hit another adult.
Rafael Gutierrez, 22, was trying to hit an adult who was walking next to the child, according to deputies. The child is in the hospital with serious but non-life threatening injuries, deputies say.
It happened after Gutierrez got into an argument with his girlfriend.
Deputies say the two were sitting in the vehicle in the driveway of a Bradenton home when another person came out of the home because of the noise. That man got into a separate argument with Gutierrez, who then pulled his girlfriend from the driver's seat of the car before intentionally driving into the man.
The 9-year-old and another adult were walking down the street and saw what was happening. Deputies say Gutierrez aimed the car at that adult, but ran over the child instead.
Gutierrez drove away from the scene, but was arrested after a K9 located him a few blocks away. He told deputies he wasn't trying to hit the child.
He faces two counts of aggravated battery and one count of aggravated assault.
