A suburban Detroit man whose pickup hit a 10-year-old boy who stepped into the street was in critical condition with head injuries in a hospital after a mob attacked him when he stopped his vehicle to check on the child.
The 54-year-old man, whose name was not released, is being treated at a Detroit hospital. According to Desmond Key, who said he is an uncle of the child, David Harris, the boy is expected to recover from his injuries, the Associated Press reports.
Police have said that the driver was not at fault in the accident.
"A preliminary investigation shows the kid stepped off the curb in front of him," Detroit police Sgt. Michael Woody told AP. "No way he could have stopped in time."
While no arrests have been made in the beating, the boy's father was arrested on an unrelated warrant, AP reports.
"At this time, he is not a suspect" in the attack, Woody said.
According to Key, the truck hit David as he and some friends were walking to a store. One of David's friends ran back to his home and told the family about the accident, AP reports.
"I heard that he ran out in the street," Key told AP. "When I showed up, my nephew was on the ground screaming."
Meanwhile, in the driveway of a nearby gas station, the driver was being beaten by six or seven attackers.
"The guy definitely was trying to fight back, but it was too many guys," Key said. "When he finally had enough of trying to fight back, he just fell to the ground. When he fell to the ground, they kicked him a couple of times and then they left him alone."
"We don't know those people that did that to that guy. Our main focus is on David," Key told AP. "We weren't cheering it on. We weren't rooting for it."
Read more at the Associated Press.