7-Year-Old Dies in Hit-and-Run Case
Posted: Today at 5:22 a.m.
Updated: Today at 11:27 a.m.

Four Oaks, N.C. — A 7-year-old boy who was critically injured by a suspected drunk driver in Johnston County, has died, his family said Tuesday.

State troopers said Marcus Lassiter, 7, was standing on the shoulder of Heath Road when a car struck him on Saturday. An adult had been watching him and another young child play in the yard, his aunt, Mary Ann Cooley, said.

Cooley said the family made the decision to remove Marcus from life support, and he died late Monday night.

Relatives said doctors at Duke University Hospital had declared Marcus brain dead. The child’s leg was broken and he had brain damage.

The driver, Pollo Hernandez Rodriquez, faces charges of felony hit and run, driving while impaired, driving without a license, driving a stolen car and causing serious injury with a motor vehicle.

Police said charges against Rodriquez had not been upgraded after the boy's death, but would be once officers could confirm Rodriquez’s identity.

Investigators on Tuesday were looking into the possibility that Rodriquez did not give his real name to police.

Rodriquez remained in jail Tuesday morning, held on a $1 million bond.

Police said they arrested Rodriquez after he tried to flee from the scene.

* Reporter: Mike Charbonneau
* Web Editor: Kathy Hanrahan

http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/2734707/