Photo: Houston Police Department
A 26-year-old woman from Houston, Texas, has been charged in the June 11 death of her 3-year-old son, after it was revealed that she ran him over during a game of chicken in a parking lot.
In a statement from the Harris County District Attorney, DA Kim Ogg notes that Lexus Stagg has been charged with criminally negligent homicide in her son’s death. Ogg also says that Stagg drove her 2006 Lincoln Navigator on purpose towards her 3 children, catching the boy under the front wheel.
At the time of the incident, Stagg told police that she thought she’d hit a speed bump while backing away from the parking lot. The DA has obtained surveillance video that shows she lied – and what really happened.
The video shows Stagg coming out of an apartment complex and getting into her car. As she’s backing away from the parking lot, all her 3 children come outside, running towards the front of the car. That’s when she puts the car back in Drive for an impromptu game of chicken. She drives forward, but only 2 of the children get out of the way in time.
The 3-year-old boy gets caught under the front wheel, but Stagg doesn’t stop. She continues to drive forward, running over the child with the rear wheel as well. The boy was taken to the hospital but later died from his injuries.
If found guilty, Stagg faces up to 10 years behind bars. Her example should be a warning to all parents who think driving a car toward a kid is a safe, fun way to pass the time.
“Every parent has an obligation to protect their children, even from themselves,” Ogg says. “Car’s aren’t toys and playing chicken with your kids isn’t a game.”
“You should be playing Peek-A-Boo with a three-year-old instead of forcing him to try and dodge a 5,600 pound deadly weapon,” Sean Teare, chief of the Vehicular Crimes Division, says in the same statement.
At the time of the incident, Stagg told police that she thought she’d hit a speed bump while backing away from the parking lot. The DA has obtained surveillance video that shows she lied – and what really happened.
The video shows Stagg coming out of an apartment complex and getting into her car. As she’s backing away from the parking lot, all her 3 children come outside, running towards the front of the car. That’s when she puts the car back in Drive for an impromptu game of chicken. She drives forward, but only 2 of the children get out of the way in time.
The 3-year-old boy gets caught under the front wheel, but Stagg doesn’t stop. She continues to drive forward, running over the child with the rear wheel as well. The boy was taken to the hospital but later died from his injuries.
If found guilty, Stagg faces up to 10 years behind bars. Her example should be a warning to all parents who think driving a car toward a kid is a safe, fun way to pass the time.
“Every parent has an obligation to protect their children, even from themselves,” Ogg says. “Car’s aren’t toys and playing chicken with your kids isn’t a game.”
“You should be playing Peek-A-Boo with a three-year-old instead of forcing him to try and dodge a 5,600 pound deadly weapon,” Sean Teare, chief of the Vehicular Crimes Division, says in the same statement.
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