Girl, 8, killed by car on Friant Road. CHP says domestic violence incident led to fatality

The death of an 8-year-old girl who was struck by a car late Friday on Friant Road is related to a domestic violence incident involving a man and the girl’s mother, the California Highway Patrol reported Saturday.

The girl had gotten out of one car when she was hit by another that happened to be passing by just before 10 p.m. on Friant near Willow Avenue. Both the California Highway Patrol and the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office are investigating.

Juan Del Toro, 51, who had been in the original vehicle with the girl, was arrested by sheriff’s investigators on suspicion of domestic violence. The girl’s mother, who as a suspected victim was not identified, was the driver of the first vehicle and cited by the CHP on suspicion of misdemeanor driving under the influence.

The CHP said the incident occurred about 9:50 p.m., with officers responding to a traffic accident at Friant and Willow Avenue. They reported that a 22-year-old woman was driving a Toyota Sequoia north on Friant when she “became the victim of domestic violence by the right front adult male passenger.”

The woman pulled off the roadway and stopped as the assault continued, the CHP stated. The girl, meanwhile, got out of the SUV and walked into the northbound lane, where she was struck by a Toyota RAV4 driven by an 82-year-old man.

In the heavy fog, the CHP said, the driver of the second SUV was unable to stop in time and struck the girl, who died at the scene.

Sheriff’s spokesman Tony Botti characterized the RAV4 operator as an “innocent driver,” and the CHP said that he is cooperating in the investigation. He was not injured.

The coroner’s office released the girl’s name late Saturday afternoon, but The Bee does not normally identify family members of alleged victims of abuse.

A 2-year-old girl who was in the Sequoia was turned over to a “responsible party,” the CHP said.

This story was originally published November 13, 2021 at 12:32 PM.