The driver who struck a mother and her 4-year-old son in a Salt Lake City crosswalk Saturday, killing the boy, was arrested on suspicion of DUI.
Carl Wayne Johnson, 56, told police he’d had “two beers” that morning before he hit the woman and the child near 900 West and California Avenue, according to a probable cause statement.
(Photo courtesy of Salt Lake County jail) Carl Johnson
Holden Curtis was killed; his mother was taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
“He was the happiest, best friend that anyone could ask for,” the family wrote on a GoFundMe page created to solicit donations for funeral expenses. He had a joy for life that was contagious to all he came in contact with. He touched so many lives in his short time on Earth, and it is hard to imagine continuing on without him."
A photo taken from the scene by FOX 13 shows a GMC SUV, with a small green bike underneath.
Police said Johnson smelled strongly of alcohol and showed signs of impairment, including poor balance, during a field sobriety test, according to a probable cause statement.
He was booked into Salt Lake County jail on suspicion of automobile homicide, a second-degree felony, DUI with serious bodily injury, a third-degree felony and other traffic-related offenses.
Johnson was convicted of a class B misdemeanor DUI in 1988 and 1989. He was convicted of reckless driving involving alcohol or drugs, a class B misdemeanor, in 1999.
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Editor’s note: FOX 13 is a content-sharing partner with The Salt Lake Tribune.
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