Driver charged with hitting 8-year-old on Taylor Street

Columbia police tracked down and charged the driver of a car that hit an 8-year-old girl who was crossing Taylor Street and Two Notch Road on Friday night.

Garnitra Demitra Whitaker, 56, was charged with hit and run, driving under suspension and failure to render aid.

She was the driver of the 2003 Kia Sedona minivan that hit the girl and fled the scene shortly after 8 p.m., Columbia Police Chief Skip Holbrook announced Saturday in a press release.

The girl suffered abrasions and a broken leg, Holbrook said.

Police officers found Whitaker late Friday after seeing the mini-van parked at Gonzalez Gardens, a half-block from the incident.

A preliminary investigation indicates the child ran across several lanes of traffic before being struck by the minivan. The incident was captured on surveillance video, Holbrook said.

Whitaker was taken to the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center.

Staff reports

This story was originally published April 2, 2016 at 11:57 AM with the headline "Driver charged with hitting 8-year-old on Taylor Street."