One year ago, Congress defunded public media. Now that we're 100% community funded, please become a sustaining member or increase your existing membership today.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
Family Of 3 Mowed Down By Alleged Drunk Driver In Walmart Parking Lot
7-year-old Matthew suffered a fractured jaw and torn liver after getting hit by an alleged drunk driver at Walmart (Photo by Daniel Baldonado via KTLA)
A father and his two children were injured after being struck by an alleged drunk driver at a Walmart parking lot in Panorama City on Tuesday.
Henry Principe, 37, took his children to Walmart around 11:15 a.m. at the 14500 block of Roscoe Boulevard so he could buy his 9-year-old daughter Daniela a present since it was her birthday that day, according to KTLA. Felipe Perez, a 49-year-old driver struck the family in the parking lot, leaving the father and his 7-year-old son Matthew in critical condition and Daniela in fair condition. The son suffered a fractured jaw and torn liver.
Perez, who has had a prior DUI conviction in 2012, was seen backing into parked cars before he hit the family. The children's grandfather Daniel Baldonado told KTLA how Principe tried to save his children:
"There was a guy who started squealing, going backwards … My granddaughter saw him coming, and my son pushed Daniela out of the way," Baldonado said. “My son tried to save Matthew also, but the car hit him and he was dragged under the car."
Perez was booked at 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday and held on $100,000 bail.
One year ago, Congress voted to defund public media, eliminating a critical $1.7 million from our budget every year going forward. But they couldn’t silence us, and we’re not going anywhere. LAist is now 100% community funded and that means we’re taking our future into our own hands and turning to you to keep local reporting strong.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
