Inset: David R. Metz (Anderson County Jail). Background: Metz being arrested immediately after the crash that killed a 14-month-old in South Carolina (WYFF).
A 62-year-old South Carolina man is accused of killing a toddler with his truck while driving under the influence. The child had gotten out the back door of his parents' restaurant and wandered into the roadway.
David Ronald Metz was taken into custody this week and charged with one felony count of DUI involving death, records show.
Officers responded to a reported pedestrian crash around 8:15 p.m. on April 13 near El Latino Bar and Grill on South Murray Avenue, according to a report from Spartanburg CBS affiliate WSPA. Emergency crews located the child with critical injuries and transported him to a hospital, where he later died of his injuries.
The Anderson County Coroner's Office identified the victim as 14-month-old Christopher Rodrigo Perez Tapia and determined he died from multiple traumatic injuries, ruling the manner of death accidental, Greenville NBC affiliate WYFF reported.
Investigators said the child's parents were cleaning the restaurant after it closed when the boy's father stepped outside to take out the trash and did not realize the toddler had followed him, authorities told local Fox affiliate WHNS. The child then "wandered into the road," where Metz's truck struck him, the coroner's office said.
Witnesses and investigators said the crash unfolded quickly, leaving little time for intervention once the toddler entered the street. Following the collision, Metz allegedly continued driving before turning around and returning to the scene.
Officials emphasized that impairment contributed to the crash.
"Yes, the child was in the roadway when he was hit. But at the same time, if the driver would not have been under the influence, he may, could have reacted a little bit quicker and switched lanes," Alyssa Whitfield of the coroner's office told WYFF.
Authorities said the incident remains under investigation by the Anderson Police Department with assistance from the South Carolina Highway Patrol.
During a bond hearing, a judge set bail at $60,000 and ordered Metz to wear a GPS monitoring device if released, while also prohibiting him from contacting the victim's family or returning to the business where the crash occurred, the Anderson Independent Mail reported. The toddler's family did not attend the bond hearing, reportedly having a victim's advocate from the police department appear on their behalf. The advocate requested that Metz be held without bond.
"The family is devastated," Anderson Police Detective McKindra Bibb said, according to the same report. "They are unable to even pull it together enough to come to court this afternoon. It's been less than 24 hours since their baby died."
Defense attorney Austin McDaniel reportedly told the court his client had deep ties to the community and no prior convictions, asserting that those factors supported bond. He also expressed sympathy for the victim's family.
Metz is scheduled to appear in court on June 11 as investigators continue to review the circumstances of the crash.
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