A woman and child were killed Thursday evening after being struck by a vehicle that drove onto the sidewalk, Lilburn police said.
The pickup truck that struck the two initially drove away, Capt. Thomas Bardugon said. But officers located the driver and a passenger less than a mile away and both were taken into custody, he said.
“Our information right now is that the vehicle left the roadway, was driving on the sidewalk and struck the two pedestrians on the sidewalk,” Bardugon said.
The wreck happened near the intersection of U.S. 29 and Harbins Road around 6:45 p.m., according to police. Investigators believe the driver may have been attempting to pass another vehicle and over-corrected, causing the driver to leave the roadway and drive on the sidewalk.
Officers arrived within seconds of the 911 call to find the two victims in a grassy area beside the sidewalk, near Calvary Baptist Church, Bardugon said. Witnesses provided enough details to help officers locate the alleged hit-and-run driver near the intersection of U.S. 29 and Rockbridge Road.
The two killed were walking on the sidewalk at the time they were hit, but did not have identification, according to police. The girl appeared to be about 9 years old.
The truck’s driver is expected to be charged with vehicular homicide and hit-and-run, Bardugon said. It was not known if the passenger would also be charged. Their names were not released.
Roads in the area were temporarily closed during the investigation Thursday night. Gwinnett County firefighters were assisting police.
— Ben Gray contributed to this report.
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