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19-Year Old Accused Of Hitting Child, Driving Off

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CORAL GABLES (CBSMiami) -- A driver accused of hitting a child and then speeding off  in Coral Gables, faced a judge on Friday.

Dennis  Cerrato, 19, allegedly slammed into a 8-year old  who was riding his bike with his father. Authorities arrested him Thursday.

In court on Friday, detectives from Coral Gables Police testified at Cerrato's bond hearing.

The judge set his bond at $30,000 plus house arrest. He is also not allowed to drive and will be under house arrest, only being allowed to leave for school and work.

Police said on September 3rd just before 7 p.m., the child was standing beside his bike when he got hit. A witness told police he observed a White Honda Civic drive off the roadway and onto the shoulder.

The witness said he yelled to the juvenile to look out. The child saw the car coming and ran away in an attempt to avoid being hit.

Authorities said Cerrato drove back onto the roadway and ran over the child's legs twice before speeding off from 1100 block of South Greenway Drive.

Rescue crews rushed the 8-year old to Miami Children's Hospital with broken bones.

Detectives said an investigation revealed a car matching the description was registered under Cerrato's name. Officers went to his home and saw the car in the driveway, saying it matched the description of the car they were looking for.

Police said when they spoke to Cerrato, he admitted to hitting the boy, saying he didn't stay because he didn't want a confrontation with the father who was upset.

Cerrato is now facing charges with leaving the scene of a crash.

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