A 12-year-old girl who took control of a car in Houston, Texas, crashed into a man and his dog, killing them both, according to reports.
The crash took place at around 4 p.m. on Thursday near 6061 Beverly Hill Street at Fountain View, in the southwest of the city, KTKR reported.
Initially, investigators said it was unclear how it is that the girl ended up at the wheel of the SUV. However, officials later revealed said that an adult male allowed her to drive, KHOU reported.
Sean Teare, head of the Harris County District Attorney's Office Vehicular Crimes Division, said the unidentified man who had allowed the child to drive will likely be charged with negligent homicide and child endangerment.
"You can't allow a young child to drive in a populated place," Teare told KHOU. "If you're going to teach a young person how to drive, go to an empty parking lot. Go somewhere where you're not going to have the potential for taking someone's life."
"Every time you turn the wheel, or you turn the key on a car, you are strapping on a deadly weapon," Teare said.
Teare also revealed that there was an infant in the car when the crash happened.
The 40-year-old victim was often seen walking his dog in the area, residents said. He died at the scene soon after the crash, which occurred because the young girl mistakenly put too much pressure on the gas, KPRC reported. The dog died later on in the day.
One eyewitness told ABC 13 that they saw police officers giving the young girl a field sobriety test after the crash.
"They did her like she was drunk," one woman said. "We were wondering why they would do that test on her if she's just like a teenager? She's not supposed to be drunk or anything."
Another local couldn't understand how the girl had been allowed to drive the car in the first place.
"That's the big question," a neighbor told ABC 13. "I mean, for me, I would never allow my children behind the wheel of the car, especially not at that age. Very tragic for the gentleman and his dog to be hit and killed."
The girl is now at home with her family while Houston police investigate the incident further.
"That's sad, that's very sad. She shouldn't have been driving," another neighbor, Julie Armstrong, told KPRC. "The adult should be responsible for letting a child drive because she shouldn't have been driving at all."
