Founder of nonprofit arrested after 2 brothers, age 9 and 11, are struck by car and killed
kali9/iStockBy EMILY SHAPIRO, ABC News
(LOS ANGELES) — A Southern California community is mourning two brothers, ages 11 and 9, after they were struck and killed by a driver in suburban Los Angeles County, according to authorities.
The children were crossing a street in Westlake Village when they were hit by a driver just after 7 p.m. Tuesday, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said.
The parents were at there at the time, according to the sheriff’s office.
One boy was pronounced dead at the scene. The second boy was taken to a local hospital where he died a few hours later, the sheriff’s office said.
The suspected driver, Rebecca Grossman, was located at or near the crash site, according to the sheriff’s office. Grossman, 57, was arrested on two counts of vehicular manslaughter, the sheriff’s department said.
Grieving community members gathered at a vigil for the boys on Wednesday night.
The brothers were identified by a local newspaper, The Acorn, as 11-year-old Mark Iskander and 9-year-old Jacob Iskander.
“This is a devastating loss for our community,” State Senator Henry Stern tweeted. “Two young boys with an entire lifetime ahead of them.”
Grossman and her husband founded the Grossman Burn Foundation, a Los Angeles County-based nonprofit that provides burn prevention education and burn treatment, according to its website. The Grossman Burn Foundation is the “philanthropic arm” of the Grossman Burn Centers, which were founded by Rebecca Grossman’s father-in-law, according to the website.
ABC News could not immediately reach the Grossman Burn Center for comment.
Grossman’s bail was set at $2 million and she’s due in court Oct. 21. It was not immediately clear if she had an attorney.
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