Charlotte, North Carolina: Teen Charged in Hit-and-Run That Killed 6-Year-Old in East Charlotte

Charlotte-Mecklenburg police arrested a 17-year-old on Monday and charged him with felony hit-and-run in the death of 6-year-old Mariana Segoviano Espinoza, a first-grade student who was struck in east Charlotte on Friday shortly after she got off her school bus.

Police identified the teenager as Lachevis Finnie. Officers arrested him during a traffic stop in a 2013 Mercedes-Benz that investigators had been seeking in connection with the crash, according to police. Court documents say Finnie did not have a valid driver's license, and he was ordered held without bond after he was described in court as a flight risk. The charge is an allegation, and Finnie is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.

What happened on Friday

Officers responded at about 3:21 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 23, to the intersection of Barrington Drive and Lanecrest Drive in east Charlotte. Police said a vehicle struck Espinoza as she walked across Barrington Drive and then drove away heading north. Her parents said she had just stepped off her school bus near her home.

Emergency medical personnel took her to a nearby medical facility with life-threatening injuries. She died on Saturday, Oct. 24. Espinoza attended Devonshire Elementary School, close to her home, and was in the first grade.

The search for the car

On Monday, police released a photo of the vehicle they were seeking. They described it as a gray 2012-to-2015 Mercedes-Benz C250 with a sunroof, black rims, a matte-black gas-cap cover and a temporary tag. Investigators said the car had significant damage to its front grille and was last seen heading north on Barrington Drive. The 2013 Mercedes-Benz that officers stopped later on Monday, with Finnie inside, fell inside the model years police had released.

A school and a street in mourning

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools said Espinoza's death would be deeply felt by the school community and that the district was working with school leaders to support students, families and staff. Her father, Manny, described her as a joyful child who loved dancing and making music videos, and he called her "the happiest girl in this house."

Neighbors left flowers and stuffed animals at the intersection, and a small memorial grew there over the weekend. On Monday evening, parents who live near the crossing told a Channel 9 reporter at the scene that young children and heavy traffic meet at the intersection every school day, and they called for safety improvements on the road.

What comes next

Detectives with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department's Major Crash Investigation Unit are still investigating the crash. Police asked anyone with information about the crash or the vehicle to call 911 or Crime Stoppers.