RALEIGH, NC – The driver in Saturday’s Raleigh Christmas Parade crash that killed an 11-year-old girl had multiple tickets for vehicle violations.
Virginia court records show Landen Christopher Glass, 20, had a number of moving violations on his record, including 4 for failure to inspect a vehicle, the most recent on Oct. 30.
Other entries included inadequate exhaust systems and no signal lights.
Online records do not specify which vehicle Glass was driving.
After Saturday’s crash, the Raleigh Police Department arrested and charged Glass with misdemeanor death by motor vehicle, carelessness and recklessness, improper equipment, unsafe movement and carrying a firearm in a parade.
A family member told WRAL News that Glass will not be making a statement. Glass was released on bond and has a first court date on Jan. 26.
Posts on Glass’s Instagram profile showed him participating in dance competitions representing CC & Company Dance Complex in 2018. It is unknown in what capacity he is affiliated with the company as of 2022.
His social media pages also indicate that he owned a vehicle customization business and spent a lot of time working on his pickup truck.
Tragedy at the Raleigh Christmas Parade
An out-of-control pickup truck pulling a parade float hit a girl performing with CC & Company Dance Complex, a group that has performed in the parade in the past.
The girl was taken to the hospital, where she was pronounced dead. His name was not released.
Video taken from the scene shows the truck as it began to lose control, gaining speed as the horn sounded. Some people scattered out of its way, while others ran towards the truck, trying to avoid it hitting the parade patterns in front of it.
Witnesses told WRAL News that the driver of the white pickup truck pulling the CC & Co. float. Dance was screaming that he had lost his brakes and couldn’t stop. The truck then approached the dancers as the adults pulled them off the road.
“All of a sudden we looked up and saw a truck on the other side of the road coming towards us,” said Worth Creech, an eyewitness. “They were able to get most of the girls out of the way. Unfortunately, we saw one of the girls get hit.”
He said the truck was in a slump, apparently pushed down by the weight of the float behind it.