U.S. Marshals announced that the man who was wanted for allegedly being behind the wheel during the deadly Sept. 3 crash of a car carrying 15 people, including 12 children has been arrested.
Roderick Stewart, 29, is facing a murder charge and 13 felonious assault charges, according tot eh U.S. Marshals Service. Police believe he intentionally crashed the vehicle into a pole on Denison Avenue near W. 58th Street in Cleveland over Labor Day weekend.
Da’Nyla Wray, 7, was killed, and the other passengers were injured, some seriously.
“The girl that died died in front of all the kids. They all watched that child die. That’s not fair, and that’s not right. And he just took off,” said Lillie Blankenship, the aunt of three children who were in the car at the time.
News 5 met Blankenship’s niece, Audrianna Howard, days after the crash when she returned home from the hospital after surgery for a serious leg injury. Blankenship said the 6-year-old is still missing school as she recovers from the traumatic injury. The family has started a GoFundMe to help pay for her medical bills.
Audrianna’s 12-year-old brother Rodrick Stewart and their cousin Antoine Tipton were also in the car during the crash. The boys' physical injuries were not as severe as Audrianna’s, but Blankenship said the crash took a dramatic toll on all of the children and their families.
Rodrick is the son of the suspected driver, and his aunt said he has had an especially difficult time processing what happened.
“He’s very angry that his dad would intentionally hit a telephone pole and take off. Who does that to their kids?” Blankenship said.
Marshals said Stewart was arrested at a hospital in Ravenna.
