Teen skateboarder in West Hempstead hit by drunken driver, cops say
Luis De Jesus, 42, is escorted out of Nassau County police headquarters on Saturday, Oct. 28, 2017. De Jesus is accused of running over a 14-year-old boy who was skateboarding in the rear parking lot of a strip mall on Hempstead Turnpike at Cherry Valley Avenue in West Hempstead. Credit: News 12 Long Island
A man who ran over a teenage skateboarder in a West Hempstead parking lot Friday evening has been charged with attempted murder for driving drunk, police said.
Luis De Jesus, 42, who has no known address, was arraigned in First District Court in Hempstead on Saturday before Judge Robert E. Pipia. He did not address the court but listened silently through a translator as his Legal Aid attorney presented his case.
De Jesus was charged with attempted murder, first-degree assault, first-degree vehicular assault, driving while intoxicated and aggravated driving while intoxicated.
Authorities said De Jesus was driving a Dodge Caravan into the rear parking lot of a strip mall on Hempstead Turnpike at Cherry Valley Avenue in West Hempstead when he hit the 14-year-old boy.
The boy was trapped under the van, authorities said, and was rescued by the Franklin Square Fire Department. The boy suffered head and internal injuries, police said. The incident occurred at 6:25 p.m.
De Jesus’ blood-alcohol level — tested about 2 1⁄2 hours after the collision — was 0.20 percent, more than twice the legal limit, according to court papers.
The judge set bail at $1 million or $500,000 cash, and suspended his license.
