A 12-year-old boy is in hospital with "life-threatening injuries" after being hit by a suspected drunk driver in Langley Friday afternoon.
Langley RCMP said the incident happened shortly before 3:30 p.m., when they were called to the 4900 block of 232 Street, between 48 and 50 avenues, for reports of a young boy struck by a car.
The vehicle, a dark blue Nissan Rogue, had left the scene, but police located it a short time later. The driver, a 29-year-old Langley woman, was taken into custody. Police said they believe she was impaired by alcohol.
"She was read the breath demand and it's my understanding that she refused to provide samples of her breath," said Cpl. Holly Largy, spokesperson for Langley RCMP.
Police also arrested a male passenger who was in the car with the woman, Largy said.
"It's my understanding that they were apprehended as they were trying to push the vehicle into an area to try to hide the vehicle," she said.
The 12-year-old victim was taken to hospital in critical condition, and police believe he was not the first pedestrian the woman hit Friday afternoon.
Police said they believe she also struck an 18-year-old who was leaving Langley Senior Secondary School. The 18-year-old's injuries required medical care, but were not life-threatening, police said.
The incident prompted officers to close 232 Street for several hours. Police estimated it would reopen around midnight.
The Lower Mainland's Integrated Collision Analyst Reconstruction Service attended the scene to assist Langley RCMP with their investigation.
Anyone who witnessed either collision and has not yet spoken to police is asked to call Langley RCMP at 604-532-3200. Investigators said they are especially interested in talking to people who witnessed the driving pattern of the vehicle before the collisions.
"At this point, we're just trying to gather information," Largy said. "Hopefully there will be some people that'll come forward that either witnessed the collision and we haven't spoken to -- we have spoken to some witnesses -- or people that could give us some driving information from how the Nissan Rogue was behaving prior to either collision or in-between."
On Saturday, Largy said the boy was still in critical condition. The two people arrested have been released from custody as the investigation continues, led by ICARS.
Largy said police are carefully building their case, adding it could take months before charges are laid against the woman or her passenger.
