A 62-year-old South Carolina man faces a felony DUI charge after his truck struck and killed a 14-month-old boy who wandered into a roadway. The child had followed his father out of a restaurant near Anderson. Authorities say impairment likely slowed the driver's reaction.
David Ronald Metz was arrested this week following the April 13 crash around 8:15 p.m. near El Latino Bar and Grill on South Murray Avenue. The toddler, identified by the Anderson County Coroner's Office as Christopher Rodrigo Perez Tapia, suffered critical injuries and died at a hospital from multiple traumatic injuries, ruled accidental. The boy's parents were cleaning the closed restaurant when his father stepped outside to take out trash, unaware the child had followed and entered the road, investigators said. Witnesses reported Metz continued driving after the collision before returning to the scene. Anderson Police Detective McKindra Bibb described the family as devastated, noting they could not attend a recent bond hearing. A victim's advocate requested Metz be held without bond on their behalf. Alyssa Whitfield of the coroner's office told WYFF that while the child was in the roadway, the driver's impairment may have prevented a quicker reaction, such as switching lanes. At the bond hearing, a judge set bail at $60,000, required GPS monitoring if released, and barred Metz from contacting the family or returning to the site. Defense attorney Austin McDaniel highlighted his client's community ties and lack of prior convictions, expressing sympathy for the family. Metz's next court date is June 11, with the investigation ongoing by Anderson police and South Carolina Highway Patrol.