Darian Cummings, 17, was charged with second-degree murder on Friday in St. Louis
A suspected carjacker has been charged with murder in the fatal car crash that took a young boy’s life as he was on his way home from Disney World.
Darian Cummings, 17, was charged with second-degree murder on Friday in St. Louis, where in April a stolen SUV slammed into the family sedan of nine-year-old Caleb Lee, killing the boy.
On April 25 at around 3am, two male suspects asked a pair of St. Louis University students for a ride, police said. After the students agreed, the males brandished a gun and demanded their wallets, phones, and the car.
The carjackers let the students, a man and woman who were both 21, out of the car uninjured after they agreed to the demands.
The students contacted police, who issued an alert to be on the lookout for the stolen vehicle, a silver 2010 Toyota RAV4 with California plates.
About six hours later, an officer with the Normandy Police Department spotted the stolen vehicle racing westbound on I-70 and attempted to pull it over, according to charging documents reported by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
The Lee family was returning home from a family trip to Disney World when their car was struck by a stolen SUV fleeing cops. Nine-year-old Caleb (right) died from his injuries
Caleb (center) attended Forder Elementary along with his younger brother Evan (left). Mother Candice works as a hairstylist and father Dennis works for supermarket chain Schnucks
Instead of pulling over, the suspect vehicle sped off, weaving in and out of traffic and almost striking several other vehicles, police said.
Meanwhile, the Lee family was returning from a family trip to Disney World.
They had flown into St. Louis Lambert International Airport and were returning to their home in southern St. Louis county in two cars. Riding in the car with Caleb were his brother Evan, age five, his mother and his aunt.
The stolen SUV, attempting to flee the cops, exited the interstate near the airport and flew through a red light, police said.
At around 9.47am, the stolen SUV slammed into the Lee’s family car as it was leaving the airport.
The suspect vehicle, a a silver 2010 Toyota RAV4, ran a red light and slammed into the Lee car
The crash occurred near the west end of the Southwest terminal, just minutes after police tried to pull over the suspect vehicle that had been stolen by armed carjackers hours earlier
Caleb (pictured) was hospitalized in critical condition and died from his injuries on May 5
Caleb was in the rear driver’s side seat, police say. He was hospitalized in critical condition and died from his injuries on May 5. The other family members in the car had injuries ranging from serious to critical, but survived.
‘They were loving life,’ the family said in a statement. ‘Then in just a blink of an eye our entire family’s lives were destroyed.’
Police said Cummings was driving the stolen vehicle when it crashed.
Cummings, who as 16 at the time, was taken into custody at the crash scene, along with two other occupants of the stolen SUV, a male and female who were both 15 at the time. The younger male suspect remains in juvenile custody.
The two victims in the carjacking identified Cummings in a photo lineup as one of the suspects who stole the SUV, police said.
A fake gun was found in the stolen vehicle after the crash.
Nine-year-old Caleb (right) was sitting in the driver’s side rear seat when the car was struck
Caleb (left) and his five-year-old brother Evan (right) were in the back seat of the family sedan
Cummings has been charged as an adult with one count of second-degree murder, three counts of second-degree assault and one count of tampering with a motor vehicle.
He is being held pending $1million cash bond.
Online court records don’t identify an attorney for Cummings.
Caleb’s father works at a supermarket, and his mother is a hair stylist. A GoFundMe page for the Lee family has raised over $50,000.
‘Me and my wife want the public to know how we appreciate – and our family and friends appreciate – support,’ father Dennis Lee told Channel 2.
‘We also want everyone to know how our lives have been flipped upside down, changed immensely beyond belief.’