The El Cajon Police Department (ECPD) has released new details and photos of the make and model of a suspect's car involved in a hit-and-run that left a 12-year-old girl badly injured.
Sirad Shamsudeen, 12, affectionately known as "Sparkle" by her loved ones, was walking near her school in the 500 block of East Chase Avenue in El Cajon on March 15 when she was hit by an unknown driver.
After striking the girl, the driver fled the scene, running through several red lights to escape, witnesses said.
Almost 10 days later, the hit-and-run suspect remains at large. Police are following multiple leads in the investigation, including combing through surveillance video that captured grainy images of the suspect's car.
On Thursday, the ECPD said the suspect's vehicle has now been identified as a silver 2013 or 2014 Honda Accord coupe. Police released photos of a make and model similar to the suspect's vehicle.
Investigators said the suspect’s car likely has damage to the front bumper, grill and hood sustained in the hit-and-run. Police believe the suspect may have tried to repair the damage or hide the car altogether.
Investigators said the driver was going north on Avocado Avenue before the crash and was last seen going east on Chase Avenue.
Sirad was badly hurt in the collision, and was rushed to the hospital, She underwent surgery and is recovering from serious injuries suffered in the hit-and-run.
Sirad’s family said the young girl is confined to a wheelchair for at least the next six weeks as she recovers. Among her injuries, Sirad suffered a fractured pelvis and a bruised liver and lung, according to her mother, Asiyah Shamsudeen.
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Shamsudeen spoke with NBC 7 immediately following the hit-and-run and shared her pain and anger. She pleaded for the suspect to turn himself in.
“I think this incident is unfortunate, that it happened to my daughter – but it could happen to anyone. And to hit a kid and leave like that, I don’t know what type of heart that person has, or what type of morals they have, but I hope if you’re seeing this, you’ll turn yourself in,” Asiyah said.
With the surveillance video and new details emerging, the mother is praying police will track down the driver responsible for injuring her daughter.
“We’ve been hopeful because I’m looking for him every time I walk outside,” Asiyah said in an interview with NBC 7 Thursday.
She's still in disbelief over how anyone could leave an injured child behind on the street.
“You just left a kid for dead. What if that was your kid? Or you? What if it was your parent? How would you feel?”
For now, Asiyah told NBC 7 her daughter is smiling through the pain, missing her friends and worrying about the lasting impact of the hit-and-run.
“She said she’s worried about the scars,” Asiyah said. “I told her there’s nothing that old-fashioned cocoa butter wouldn’t fix.”
The hit-and-run remains under investigation.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the El Cajon Police Department Traffic Division at (619) 441-1632, the El Cajon Police Department Communications Center at (619) 579-3311, or San Diego Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477.
