FORT GREENE — A grand jury indicted a motorist for killing a 9-year-old boy and injuring two others when he allegedly drove his SUV on the sidewalk the wrong-way down a one-way street.
Anthony Byrd, 59, was driving down DeKalb Avenue on Nov. 2 and nearly hit two pedestrians while attempting to make a left hand turn onto Clermont Avenue, according to the Brooklyn DA's office.
He then swerved up onto the sidewalk where he hit the wall of the Black Iris restaurant, prosecutors said.
After accelerating, he hit a car and later plowed into Elaine Driscoll, 29, and Lucian Merryweather, 9 and his 4-year-old brother, Theodore, who were with their mother, the court papers said.
Lucian was killed and his brother suffered serious injuries. Driscoll suffered a broken leg.
“The death of this innocent 9-year-old child and the severe injuries to his 4-year-old brother were truly tragic and avoidable and we will seek to hold the defendant accountable for his actions," DA Kenneth Thompson said in a statement. "The people of Brooklyn must be free to walk down the streets of our borough without fear that they may be run over or injured by a motorist driving dangerously.”
A video of the incident shows pedestrians running as the vehicle drove onto the sidewalk, according to the DA's office.
If convicted, Byrd faces a maximum of four years in prison for charges including criminally negligent homicide, assault and reckless driving.
