Screams erupt as child is mowed down by female hit-and-run driver… then cops are accused of a cover-up

A mother accused of running over a child has been arrested more than two weeks after she fled, leaving the girl injured on the road.

Zulma Beltran, 49, from Richardson in Dallas, was arrested about 1 pm on Thursday and is behind bars after being charged with felony collision involving personal injury.

She was allegedly behind the wheel when the girl, 12, was hit at the intersection of Wilson Drive and Westridge Drive in Plano, Texas, on December 10.

Shocking door camera footage showed the girl crossing the street before the black SUV, which appeared to be driving on the wrong side of the road, arrived.

The car turned left and struck the girl, who screamed as she tried to get out of the way before being thrown several feet by the impact.

Seconds later, she was able to get up and, still screaming, get off the road. The car stopped for long enough to see her walk off, then drove away.

Zulma Beltran, 49, from Richardson in Dallas, was arrested about 1pm on Thursday and is behind bars charged with felony collision involving personal injury

She was allegedly behind the wheel when the girl, 12, was hit at the intersection of Wilson Drive and Westridge Drive in Plano, Texas, on December 10

The girl suffered only a few minor scrapes and bruises and continued to walk to school after being hit, her family said.

Plano Police said on December 20 that they identified the driver and she expressed remorse for fleeing the scene.

‘The driver has been identified, interviewed and admitted to her involvement in the hit-and-run. She expressed deep regret for not remaining at the scene to ensure the child’s safety,’ it said.

However, it refused to identify Beltran until the warrant for her arrest was issued, and didn’t do so until six days later when she was in custody.

This sparked claims of a cover-up from locals and others online, and police defended their policy on social media.

‘Once the warrant has been executed her identity will be public. And you’re correct, just because she is sorry doesn’t mean her actions don’t have felony consequences,’ the department wrote on Twitter December 22.

‘Typically we would have waited to tell the public she was identified until she was arrested; now updating too soon in the process has some jumping to the wrong conclusions. 

‘The crash may have been an accident but her failure to render aid was a choice.’

Shocking door camera footage showed the girl crossing the street before the black SUV, which appeared to be driving on the wrong side of the road, arrived

The car turned left and struck the girl, who screamed as she tried to get out of the way, then was thrown several feet by the impact

Beltran is being held at the Plano City Jail and Plano Police Department’s traffic unit is still investigating.

She previously lived in Plano before moving to Dallas, after relocating from Chicago sometime before 2010, according to property records.

Her criminal history included two arrests for shoplifting in 2004 and 2006, and contributing to her child failing to attend school in 2013.

Beltran’s husband Gilberto Mora was also charged over the 2013 incident. 

Police on Thursday thanked the public for helping identify the car, ‘thereby ensuring that justice is served and that our streets remain safe’.