ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (WFLA) — St. Petersburg police arrested a man Wednesday who they said hit a child with a car in the middle of a theft.
Arrest documents said that Hector Emmanuel Gomez Jimenez, 32, of St. Petersburg attempted to steal a Toyota Avalon Tuesday night after the owner exited her vehicle on 34th Street with the engine still running.
Police said Gomez Jimenez entered the vehicle and tried to back up, only to realize that a child was sitting in the backseat.
Gomez Jimenez grabbed the child by the shirt and told her to get out, but when the child ran behind the vehicle to escape, he reversed and hit her, according to the affidavits.
Police said the incident was caught on video, which showed that the suspect was wearing the same “distinct pair of shoes” when he was taken into custody. However, Gomez Jimenez denied any knowledge of the car.
The St. Petersburg Police Department also charged the suspect in another carjacking on 34th Street, which happened on July 27.
In this case, Gomez Jimenez was accused of stealing a Chevrolet Malibu when the owner entered a Wawa. Police said a Pinellas County deputy, who dropped the suspect off at the location before the theft, recognized him from from video of the incident.
He was charged with grand theft and child abuse-aggravated battery-deadly weapon, according to his jail record.
