A teenager has been arrested and given freedom after being charged with hitting and killing a 4-year-old in the Mall of Georgia parking lot.
On March 10, police said Jacob Johnston killed Abigail Hernandez by hitting her in front of Dick’s Sporting Goods. At the time, Hernandez was with her dad and her sister, who is seven years old. Both of them were hurt, but they lived.
After looking into it, Gwinnett police decided that the driver should not be charged with a crime. Police said Johnston stayed at the scene and helped them.
The DA’s office said they chose to press charges after seeing the tape of what happened.
“One of the great things about our system is that decisions aren’t made by just one authority.” “We have checks and balances,” someone who works in the DA’s office said. “The DA’s office and the police will sometimes have slightly different views on things, but it is up to us to decide if we will pursue it and move forward.”
Johnston went to jail on May 31 and was charged with second-degree murder by vehicle and careless behavior. It’s not clear if he turned himself in or was caught. For each charge, you could go to jail for up to a year.
Johnston paid his $59,000 bond and was freed on June 1.