‘Turn yourself in’: Mom speaks out after toddler hit in Florida hit-and-run

By Spencer Tracy

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    SANFORD, Florida (WESH) — A Sanford mother is pleading for justice as her 3-year-old daughter remains hospitalized after being struck by a hit-and-run driver last week.

Sanford Police are still looking for the driver and asking the community to come forward with information.

Lakisha Debose has spent nearly every moment at Arnold Palmer Hospital, sitting at her daughter Harmonie’s bedside.

“I’m trying not to cry. I feel it, it’s your innocent, poor baby,” Debose said.

Police say Harmonie was playing outside her home on Persimmon Avenue last week when a driver struck her and took off. The driver later abandoned the car and fled the scene on foot.

Debose says they were sitting right there on the porch when it happened, and the driver came flying around the corner.

“She was just playing red light, green light with her brother,” Debose said. “And all of a sudden you hear boom; the car jumped the curve — and my baby just flew up in the air.”

Debose says her daughter suffered severe injuries, including bleeding on the brain and multiple fractures to her skull and pelvis. Though she is now awake, she is currently unable to speak.

“She’s coming along pretty well,” Debose said. “All scraped and bruised up, but she’s still here. It’s going to be a long road to recovery — but we will get through it.”

Sanford police say they have not made any arrests but have identified persons of interest in the case.

“It’s been a week, and nobody is charged for this poor, innocent baby,” Debose said. “If it was your child, you would feel the same way as me. Something really needs to be done.”

Debose says speeding continues to be a problem on her street, and she hopes her daughter’s story serves as a wake-up call.

Anyone with information about the hit-and-run is urged to contact Sanford Police or leave an anonymous tip through Crimeline at 1-800-423-TIPS.

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