Four children between the ages of 11 and 13 have been arrested for after allegedly stealing a car and fatally mowing down an elderly woman before fleeing the scene.
Cecilia De Astis, 71, was walking in Milan on Monday when she was hit by a Citroën and thrown into the air. The car then crashed into a road sign before the perpetrators fled on foot from the scene.
Three boys and one girl, aged between 11 and 13, have been taken into custody on suspicion of aggravated vehicular homicide due to their failure to assist the elderly woman. Italian media reports that the suspected driver is 13.
In Italian law, children below the age of 14 are not criminally liable. The Juvenile Prosecutor’s Office is currently handling the case, but if the suspects are confirmed to be under 14, they will be deemed ineligible for prosecution.
Ms De Astis was leaving the “House of Solidarity” of the Brothers of St. Francis, where she had been invited for lunch, before her death, La Stampa reports.
She was crossing Via Saponaro when she was struck by the Citroën, which was allegedly stolen from a French man the day before and had a French licence plate.
Emergency services arrived at the scene shortly afterwards but could not save her despite their best efforts.
Ms De Astis’ sons, Gaetano and Filippo, reportedly arrived at the scene of her death shortly after and collected her remaining belongings.
The woman was described in Italian media as having a passion for travel and a dedication to her family. She had dinner with her sons on the night before her death, according to La Stampa.
Ms De Astis originally hailed from Ruvo di Puglia in southeastern Italy but moved nearly 1,000km north west to Milan, where she built a new life with her husband, who died around 15 years ago.
She worked at the Cederna cotton mill for more than 30 years, but left shortly before the factory’s closure in 2020.
The death has also sparked political reaction in Italy, with the right-wing populist Northern League calling for the parents to be “severely punished”, according to Il Fatto Quotidiano.
