3-year-old boy killed in Merced hit-and-run identified

A 3-year-old Merced boy who died earlier this week after an apparent hit-and-run collision in a restaurant parking lot was identified Tuesday as Santos Alavarez, the Merced County Coroner’s Office confirmed.

Detectives were still piecing together evidence in the case Tuesday afternoon and no arrests had been made, Sgt. Scott Skinner said.

Initial reports indicated the boy was struck around 5:50 p.m. Monday in the parking lot of the McDonald’s restaurant at 1060 W. 13th St., according to Sgt. Alan Ward.

Police went to Mercy Medical Center after the boy’s father had taken him there after the accident. The father reported that his son was running in the parking lot and was hit when he ran into the path of a pickup truck.

The father, whose name has not been released, told police the truck driver left the scene. He told investigators he picked Santos up in the parking lot and drove him to Mercy Medical Center, police reported.

He died at the hospital a short time later.

The truck, described by police as a white Ford F-150 with a standard cab, was last seen heading north on R Street. A description of the driver has not been released.

This story was originally published November 4, 2014 at 5:55 PM with the headline "3-year-old boy killed in Merced hit-and-run identified."