(Daily Wire) A teenager who ran over a mother walking her 8-month-old baby in a stroller in Venice, California, in August 2021 then was only sentenced to juvenile probation camp rather than military school, was murdered in Palmdale, California.
Kristopher Baca was 15 when he ran over the mother and child, prompting the video of the incident to go viral. He was found dead from gunshot wounds Wednesday evening; sources told Fox News that prior to his death, Baca had been seen at a fast food restaurant attempting to “get with a girl,” then walked toward home. As he walked home alone, a car stopped by him and an argument ensued before someone in the vehicle fired at Baca before fleeing.
Apprised of Baca’s death, the mother he ran over — who had moved away from Los Angeles, citing the “soft-on-crime” policies implemented by Los Angeles County DA George Gascon, said, “The universe delivered the justice we weren’t given in court, but a much harsher punishment than he’d have been dealt in a court of law.”
“I think I feel shorted — by the system because they didn’t hold him accountable and sad, not for him, but for his mom a little, because if George Gascon actually did his job, this kid would still be alive in jail,” the mother stated.
After the initial hit-and-run incident and Baca’s sentencing, the mother, identified as “Rachel,” told Fox News Digital, “I remain incredibly disappointed with the justice system in LA but I am unsurprised to learn that I am yet again being denied my rights as a victim to participate and use my voice in the judicial process. F*** George Gascón.”
Rachel had hoped for a harsher initial sentence for Baca, who had no driver’s license and was already on probation for felony poisoning after he allegedly spiked a high school girl’s drink. She had expected that any hearing for the teenager would come near the end of his probation in early November.
“I thought those were the last moments of our lives; we were dead,” she said in a victim impact statement, The Daily Mail reported. “That feeling, along with the memory of a car accelerating directly into us, will haunt me forever. … As the car approached me and my child, I stopped walking and moved the stroller and myself up against a building on the right side of the road to ensure that we gave the reckless driver plenty of room to pass. As the car got dangerously close to us, KB turned the wheels in our direction and accelerated as he aimed to kill us.”
“I was also told that his record would be wiped clean when he turns 18,” she added. “How on earth can that be? He tried to murder two innocent pedestrians. Murder. And we have video evidence. My child would be dead if I hadn’t been there to protect him.”
