May charge Hit-and-run driver under Vasean's Law

An alleged drunk driver who mowed down a 19-year-old woman and left her for dead on a Flushing street may be charged under VaSean's Law. If convicted, the teenage driver may face up to four years in prison.
The hit-and-run accident occurred on Thursday, July 20, on Kissena Boulevard near Melbourne Avenue as the victim, Shantel Reed, was crossing the street to her home in the Pomonok Houses.
The driver, 18-year-old Ellis Chang, left the scene but was apprehended by police 10 blocks away when they noticed that the windshield of the 2001 silver Toyota Camry he was driving - with four passengers inside, according to witnesses - was cracked.
He has been charged with drunk driving, driving while impaired by drugs and leaving the scene of an accident.
He later confessed that he had been smoking marijuana.
Reed was taken to New York Hospital Queens where she was treated for massive head injuries. She is listed in critical but stable condition.
VaSean's Law was named after 11-year-old VaSean Phillip Alleyne, who was killed by a drunk driver, John Wirta, who could not be charged with a felony under then-current law. VaSean's Law makes it easier for district attorneys to prosecute drivers for vehicular assault and vehicular manslaughter when they cause death or serious injury because of driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
&#8220I'm glad that the District Attorney is using VaSean's Law,” said Monique Dixon, the boy’s mother. &#8220I'm glad it's in place and he can be punished under it. I did all that work so that my son's death wasn’t in vain.”