Driver hits kindergartener crossing Centre Street at the library in West Roxbury

A little kid crossing Centre Street at Bellevue Street was hit by a car driver who apparently ran a red light there, around 3:25 p.m., according to witnesses - although the driver says he thinks he had a green light.

"There was a whole group of people in the middle of the street," one witness said in an account provided to Universal Hub. The driver "is lucky he didn't hit a crowd."

Other witnesses say the driver of the car was wearing a Boston Police uniform when he pulled over.

A police report on the incident says the boy's right leg was hit by the driver's blue Mazda 3 sedan.

The version of the police report that was released publicly has the driver's personal information redacted and does not say whether he was an officer.

The driver told responding officers he believed he had a green light on Centre Street towards Lagrange at the time, that the boy ran in front of him and that he slammed on his brakes in an unsuccessful attempt to not hit the boy.

However, the boy's aunt told police that they had a pedestrian crossing signal and were in the crosswalk when her nephew was hit.

According to the report, the boy's aunt said they were walking home from school - the school's name is redacted, but the Lyndon School is about a block away - when they got to the intersection of Centre and Bellevue. She told police the boy pressed the pedestrian button, the pedestrian-crossing lights came and and showed 9 seconds left when they began walking into the intersection - and the Mazda rolled into him.

The report states that when officers arrived, the aunt was holding "a crying little boy," who was complaining of pain in his lower right leg.

EMTs transported him to Children's Hospital for care.

No charges were filed.

Another witness also told police the boy was in the crosswalk, although she does not know if the pedestrian-crossing signal was on at the time. She added that after being struck by the right front of the car, the boy fell to the ground. Another witness estimated the car was going 5 to 15 m.p.h.

In 2019, after a pedestrian was struck and killed on Centre and Hastings streets, BTD proposed a series of steps to make the road safer for pedestrians, including reducing the number of auto travel lanes, but pulled the plan after some vociferous residents accused the city of being under the control of evil outside interests, such as bicyclists, out to ruin their neighborhood.

Since then, Centre Street has retained its same basic configuration.