12-year-old driver kills man, dog; father arrested

A Houston father has been arrested and charged with criminal negligent homicide after his 12-year-old daughter got behind the wheel of an SUV and killed a man and his dog.

CNN reports that prosecutors said Tomas Mejia Tol had initially told investigators he was driving when the accident occurred, but surveillance video showed it was the girl.

The daughter, who CNN did not name, was driving a Ford Explorer in Houston on Thursday evening with a 2-year-old baby in the back seat, according to CNN affiliate KTRK-TV.

The vehicle hit Enrique Vazquez, killing him instantly along with one of three dogs he was walking.

"When the child pressed the accelerator pedal, the Ford moved forward at a high rate of speed, struck the man, one of his dogs and then a tree," police said.

The child driver reportedly said her father was letting her drive "to practice.

[File Photo: automedia/IC]