Lack Of Crossing Guard Questioned At Upland Intersection Where Boy, 11, Was Fatally Struck

UPLAND (CBSLA.com) — Students and parents say they have long complained about the Upland intersection where an 11-year-old boy was fatally injured in a hit-and-run crash.

Isaiah Shelton-Dobine was on his way early Thursday to nearby Cabrillo Elementary School when he was struck by a car at the intersection of Arrow Highway and Benson Avenue. The boy, who had been crossing the street in a crosswalk, suffered severe trauma and was pronounced dead at a hospital.

The suspected driver, 25-year-old Jason Fehr, was arrested at his apartment, in the same complex where Isaiah lived.

Parents marched on the streets of Upland Friday, calling for justice for Isaiah and for crossing guards to make the route to school safer, while a volunteer crossing guard guided pedestrians across the street safely. School officials have been quoted as saying the city cut funding for crossing guards was cut in 2009 amid a fiscal crisis.

"And when we go to the schools, the schools say they have nothing to do with it, we have to go to the city," parent Jasmyne Acosta said. "But the city is hearing our concerns, but is anything being done?"

The idea is gaining steam -- a councilman told a local newspaper back in August that he and a colleague asked about getting crossing guards at the intersection. Parents say they plan on keeping the pressure on their local leaders.

"It's bad that something like this had to happen before you get people's attention," grandfather Roosevelt Bowie said.

This was the first year Isaiah's parents allowed him to walk the short, 18-minute distance to his school.

"The school is just up the street," Isaiah's great-aunt, Teresa Angel, said. "They need to have security guards here, or crossing guards here, to help the children. Because they should not have to cross these busy streets without somebody watching."

Fehr, who is being held at the West Valley Detention Center on $50,000 bail, is scheduled to appear in court Monday.

RELATED: Man In Custody In Death Of Upland Boy, 11, Killed In Hit-And-Run Crash As He Walked To School