Antecedents and the ongoing case
An eight-year-old boy who was severely injured on May 19 after being struck in Valencia’s Ronda Nord by a speeding BMW that fled the scene has recently left the intensive care unit. Health authorities report the child is progressing well, with a hospital stay that followed a critical period in which doctors feared for his life.
The boy suffered serious trauma to the skull, chest, and pelvis, including fractures of both femurs. He was rushed to the Valencia Clinical Hospital, where he remained under care for weeks. In the early days, medical teams faced a watchful period as they monitored his condition and worked to stabilize him. He was kept in an induced coma to aid recovery, a measure that has since been reversed as signs of improvement emerged.
Recently, hospital staff confirmed the child has been discharged from the ICU and is now in one of the hospital rooms under stable clinical conditions.
The collision occurred around 3:30 p.m. on Sunday, May 19, as the child crossed at a pedestrian crossing accompanied by his older brother. A BMW allegedly ran a red light at high speed, weaving around vehicles stopped at the green phase and striking them as the pedestrians crossed, according to preliminary reports.
The alleged driver, Ángel C. S., aged 22, was taken into custody after appearing before Valencia’s Investigative Court No. 1 in guard duty. He did not respond to questions from the judiciary at that time, a detail reported in exclusive coverage by Levante-EMV. The suspect faced charges related to the crash and was also confronted by a prior detention warrant and a gender-violence complaint filed by his former partner the day following the accident.
The defence, led by attorney Andrés Zapata, explained that his client did not testify because the case file remained confidential, which prevented access to key evidence that could support the accusation. Officials did not provide access to substantiating documents cited in the case, making a direct statement impossible at that moment.
Authorities accuse the driver of reckless driving at speeds exceeding 100 km/h, attempting to maneuver around vehicles halted at a red light, while a child was crossing the crosswalk in the green phase alongside his older brother. The charges include dangerous driving endangering others, serious injuries due to negligence, and leaving the scene of an accident.
The court ordered provisional imprisonment without bail for the three offenses tied to the crash. Additional detention regarding a separate imprisonment order issued on May 23 was fulfilled when the suspect turned himself in to the traffic police team of the Valencia Local Police around 1:30 p.m. He remains incarcerated at Picassent Prison while the judicial process continues.
Police records and outstanding penalties
Amidst the case, the defendant has a substantial police record and an outstanding sentence for three hate-crime offenses totaling roughly a year and a half in prison. Early attempts to delay his arrest were noted as he concealed himself following the collision. He ultimately chose to surrender after being tracked by the national and local law enforcement combined with a homicide unit; they had already recovered the gray BMW involved in the incident, which had a missing left side mirror from the powerful impact with the child, according to the same investigative updates.
The younger brother of Ángel C. S., Aarón, aged 20 and known in the Orriols neighborhood as a local figure nicknamed “Chucky,” was also stabbed on Friday, May 24, by a neighbor in the same area, in retaliation for his brother’s actions. The assailant’s outburst was captured by witnesses and has been noted in ongoing reporting. [source attribution remains with law enforcement and local press coverage].
As the investigation proceeds, officials continue to examine all aspects of the events surrounding the crash, including the driver’s history and the overall context of the motive behind the violence. The case remains highly monitored by Valencia’s judicial and police authorities as they work to determine responsibility and ensure accountability for the injuries sustained by the child and the events that followed.