LONG BEACH, Calif. — Detectives with the Long Beach Police Department are investigating a fatal traffic collision that claimed the life of a 20-month-old girl Monday morning.
On March 2, 2026, at approximately 11:27 a.m., officers were dispatched to the 400 block of Maine Avenue regarding an injury collision involving a vehicle and multiple pedestrians.
When officers arrived, they located three pedestrians who had been struck. Police immediately began life-saving measures on the toddler before she was transported to a local hospital, where she later succumbed to her injuries.
Personnel from the Long Beach Fire Department transported two additional victims a 45-year-old woman and a 12-year-old girl to a hospital in stable condition.
According to preliminary findings, a 2013 Chevy Captiva was making a turning movement when it suddenly reversed at a high rate of speed, leaving the roadway and driving onto the sidewalk, where it struck the three pedestrians.
The driver remained at the scene and was arrested. Authorities identified him as 55-year-old Lamont Ivan Russell of Long Beach. He was booked at the Long Beach City Jail on suspicion of felony vehicular manslaughter, felony DUI, and misdemeanor battery. Bail was set at $335,000.
Investigators believe speed, distraction, and impaired driving were contributing factors in the crash.
The identity of the toddler is being withheld pending notification of next of kin by the Los Angeles County Department of the Medical Examiner.
Anyone who may have witnessed the collision is urged to contact LBPD Collision Investigation Detail Detective Dougherty at (562) 570-7355.
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