562.570.5273
LBPDPIO@longbeach.gov
Collision Investigation detectives are investigating a fatal traffic collision that occurred on March 2, 2026, resulting in the death of a 20-month-old girl.
At approximately 11:27 a.m., officers were dispatched to the 400 block of Maine Avenue regarding an injury traffic collision involving a vehicle and multiple pedestrians.
Upon arrival, officers found three pedestrians who were struck by the vehicle. Officers provided life-saving measures to a 20-month-old girl and transported her to a local hospital. She succumbed to her injuries at the hospital.
Long Beach Fire Department personnel transported two additional pedestrians, a 45-year-old female adult and a 12-year-old girl, to a local hospital in stable condition.
The preliminary investigation indicates that a 2013 Chevy Captiva was making a turning movement when the vehicle reversed, at a high rate of speed, off the roadway and onto the sidewalk, colliding with the three pedestrians.
The driver remained on scene and was subsequently arrested. He was identified as Lamont Ivan Russell, a 55-year-old resident of Long Beach. He was booked at the Long Beach City Jail for felony vehicular manslaughter, felony DUI, and misdemeanor battery. Bail was set at $335,000.
Speed, distraction, and impaired driving appear to have contributed to this collision.
The identity of the decedent is being withheld pending notification of next of kin by the Los Angeles County Department of the Medical Examiner.
Anyone who may have witnessed this collision is asked to contact LBPD Collision Investigation Detail Detective Dougherty at (562) 570-7355. Anonymous tips may be submitted through "LA Crime Stoppers" by calling 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), downloading the "P3 TIPS" app to your smartphone (available at the Apple App store and Google Play), or visiting www.LACrimeStoppers.org.