Funeral for Chandler hit-and-run victim draws hundreds

CHANDLER, AZ - Hundreds of people spent their holiday attending the funeral of an 11-year-old boy, killed last week by a hit-and-run driver.

Aaron Arnold died after a car collided with his bicycle in Chandler last Friday.

The gray skies overhead reflected the somber mood of Arnold's friends and family following his tragic death.

"He was such a great kid, it's just so hard to believe to this day," said family friend Laverne Castillo. "You think you'll wake up and he'll be there. He's not."

As Arnold attempted to cross Arizona Avenue near Knox on his bike last Friday, a car collided with him.

But instead of stopping, police say the driver sped off.

Paramedics arrived just seconds later and pronounced Arnold dead.

"I'm angry," said Aaron's mom, Trisha Arnold. "I'm hurt. His life was so precious and it was taken from him so soon."

Detectives claim 24-year-old Ronnie Chavez eventually returned to the scene to turn himself in.

But for Trisha Arnold, it doesn't change the fact that, according to investigators, Chavez initially drove away, leaving her son to die.
 
"I don't think it would be appropriate for me to speak on how I feel about (Chavez)," Trisha Arnold said. "I know he'll get what he has coming."

Following the funeral, Aaron's friends hopped on their bikes and rode from the church to a park near where the accident happened.

Kyler Arnold tells ABC15 it's a fitting tribute to his brother.

"He was cool," Kyler said of Aaron. "I'm just going to keep riding because that's what he'd want us to do."

Prosecutors charged Chavez with one count of failure to stop for an accident involving death.