A 17-year-old driver who ran off the road in Oceanside and struck a man and his toddler grandson, leaving the 18-month-old boy in a coma, pleaded guilty today to felony drunken driving.
The teenager, whose name is being withheld because he is being prosecuted in Juvenile Court, was being followed by police on Oct. 18 when his car veered off the 4100 block of Lake Boulevard, struck the man and child on a sidewalk and crashed into a home, authorities said.
Police caught the driver, but three passengers escaped into the surrounding neighborhood.
Izaiah Wallis reportedly had his skull separated from his spine and remains in a medically induced coma at a hospital. His 50-year-old grandfather also suffered serious injuries, according to the Oceanside Police Department.
The driver apologized to members of Izaiah's family and said he was a changed person, according to The San Diego-Union Tribune.
The defendant was ordered by Judge Dwayne Moring to return to court on Nov. 29 for sentencing.
