CLEVELAND — A 29-year-old man has been indicted on multiple charges -- including aggravated murder -- in connection with a deadly crash in Cleveland that claimed the life of a 7-year-old girl who was among more than a dozen passengers inside the vehicle.
The Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office announced Monday that a grand jury returned the indictment against Roderick Stewart “for intentionally crashing an SUV into a utility pole" at West 58th Street and Denison Avenue.
Authorities say it was around 7:30 p.m. on Sept. 3 when Stewart was allegedly driving a Buick Enclave with 14 passengers -- including 11 children under the age of 12 -- when he “began to argue with one of the passengers in the vehicle.”
“He stated to the passengers, ‘Shut up before I crash this car,’” according to a press release from the prosecutor’s office. “He then swerved and drove the Buick directly into a utility pole. Several good Samaritans began pulling passengers out of the vehicle to assist them. Roderick fled the scene.”
3News previously reported that six children and two adults were taken to the hospital after the crash. The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner's Office later confirmed that one of the children -- a 7-year-old girl from Warrensville Heights -- died as a result of the crash.
“It is poor judgment, to say the least, to drive a vehicle carrying 14 passengers, 11 of which were children, in an SUV manufactured to hold seven,” said Prosecutor Michael C. O’Malley. “It is horrifying that this individual would then intentionally crash that vehicle into a utility pole knowing the severe damage it would cause including the death of a seven-year-old girl. My thoughts and prayers are with all who were affected by this tragedy.”
Stewart was arrested by the U.S. Marshals Service of Cleveland on Oct. 11. He was indicted Oct. 20 on the following charges:
- One count of aggravated murder
- Two counts of murder
- 17 counts of felonious assault
- One count of aggravated vehicular homicide
- Two counts of aggravated vehicular assault
He will be arraigned at the Cuyahoga County Justice Center at a later date.
