Police: Driver was speeding, driving erratically before hitting family, gravely injuring 5-year-old boy

The driver of a Jeep that ran off the road and struck a Herndon family — seriously injuring a 5-year-old boy — reportedly was speeding and driving erratically before the crash, police said.

In a search warrant seeking electronic data from the Jeep, a Fairfax County police officer wrote witnesses saw the car traveling at a high rate of speed and cutting off vehicles on Herndon Parkway before losing control and hitting the pedestrians on a sidewalk last month. Other witnesses reported seeing the same car speeding and cutting off other vehicles in Loudoun County, too.

Armando Verdugo said he and his wife, Vanessa, and their 5-year-old son, Yahir, had just picked up some groceries and were almost home when they were hit near Summerfield Drive about 5 p.m. Dec. 28.

Verdugo escaped with minor injuries, but his wife and son remain hospitalized. The boy is in grave condition.

Fairfax County police say the driver of the Jeep stayed on the scene and cooperated with investigators.