A Salem man is in custody after running over two young children in a south Salem cul-de-sac.
Salem Police Officers were called to the 2200 block of Navaho Ct SE at about 1:49 pm this afternoon on a report that two children had been struck by a vehicle. As officers were responding to several phone calls from people in the area, updates were received that the driver of the vehicle was involved in some type of physical altercation with others in the area.
Officers arrived to find that a 3-year old girl and 5-year old boy had been playing on the sidewalk of the cul-de-sac when they were run over by a 2007 Ford truck that was backing out of a driveway. The driver of the pickup truck, 40-year old Casper Ankin, allegedly attempted to leave following the incident and was physically detained by bystanders. He then went into a residence where he was contacted by officers.
The children are not being identified at this time in order to give the family time to contact other family members. They were transported to Salem Health with what are believed to be non-life threatening injuries.
Casper Ankin was taken into custody at the scene on charges of Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants, Reckless Driving, two counts of Assault in the Third Degree and two felony counts of Failure to Perform the Duties of a Driver Involved in an Accident (Hit and run). The investigation is continuing and additional criminal charges are possible.