Arrest made after 10-year-old boy severely injured in hit and run while on bike he got for Christmas

CROWLEY, La. (WAFB) - A 35-year-old man is now in custody for allegedly hitting an 10-year-old boy who was riding a bicycle, then leaving the scene.

The incident happened Sunday, Dec. 29 around 2 p.m. in Crowley. Officers with the Crowley Police Department were called out to the 900 block of East Spruce Street to find the boy in critical condition. He was transported to a hospital in Baton Rouge.

Crowley Police Chief Jimmy Broussard confirms the child was riding his new bicycle he had just received for Christmas.

Officials with the police department say witnesses made statements saying they saw a silver dual rear wheel pickup truck with silver hub caps and a loud engine around the area at the time of the incident.

Later in the night, Louisiana State Police Troop B got a call from a Crowley resident saying she was on the phone with a female who was in the truck who claimed she was present when the hit and run happened. She was able to provide the suspect’s name.

The Crowley Police Department then issued an arrest warrant for Justin Duhon, 35. He’s facing a felony charge of hit and run. His bond has been set at $100,000. Duhon is being held in Orleans Parish while awaiting extradition to Acadia Parish.

“It was the public who helped us get this man in custody,” stated Broussard. “From the onset of the incident, we were receiving a ton of phone calls from area residents and witnesses, with information and possible videos from their residences which would help us to identify the suspect. Of course the statement of the female in the vehicle was the definitive moment in this case, but had not the person she was on the phone with had the forethought to contact State Police to give this information which led State Police to contact us and confirmed information we had been given by the public prior to the call, this would have been a difficult case to possibly solve.”

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