Prosecutors: Suspect in child's hit-and-run death bought beer afterward

Tatyana Babineaux, 9, struck, killed near school; Isidro Solis arrested at border

SAN ANTONIO – Just minutes after striking Tatyana Babineaux, 9, with his pick-up truck as she crossed the street near her school, Isidro Solis, 40, stopped to buy two beers, according to testimony during Solis' trial on charges of failure to stop and render aid.

Prosecutors said security camera video shows a man identified as Solis buying beer in a convenience store near the scene of the hit-and-run just minutes after the child was struck and killed.

The first witness in Solis' trial on Wednesday was Arne Lapisto, who drove up on the scene on the morning of Jan. 1, 2014, as he dropped his daughter off at Larkspur Elemenary School in the 11700 Block of Braesview Drive.

"The person that had hit her left and left her there," he testified.

Lapisto, a former paramedic, gave the child first aid until EMS arrived.

Babineaux later died at a hospital.

Solis was arrested two days later at the U.S.-Mexico border at Laredo.

During his testimony, Lapisto recalled seeing the child with friends near the school a few days earlier. He said he gave them a warning as the children began to cross the street.

"I had rolled down my window and explained that they shouldn't run across the street or they could get hit if they weren't careful," he said.

If he is found guilty, Solis faces a punishment range of from two to 20 years in prison.

Testimony will resume on Thursday in Judge Mary Roman's 175th District Court.


About the Author:

Paul Venema is a courthouse reporter for KSAT with more than 25 years experience in the role.