A Cleveland man has been sentenced to six years in prison after pleading guilty to charges stemming from the fatal hit-and-run that claimed the life of 7-year-old Amir Prewitt in August 2024. Donald Mynatt, 33, was handed a three-year prison sentence for leaving the scene of the accident and an additional three years for an unrelated felony count of failure to comply. The sentences will be served consecutively.
The tragic incident occurred outside the Lakeshore Beach Apartments on Lakeshore Boulevard, where Amir was riding his skateboard. Prosecutors say Mynatt struck the child with his Mercedes SUV, briefly pulled into a parking area, then sped away without offering help. Amir was dragged beneath the vehicle and later died at the hospital.
Surveillance footage, witness statements, and vehicle data confirmed Mynatt’s involvement. He evaded arrest for weeks before being found hiding in an abandoned office space above storage units in Lake County. His SUV was recovered within 24 hours of the incident.
Although originally indicted on multiple charges, including negligent homicide and tampering with evidence, Mynatt ultimately pleaded guilty to one third-degree felony count of failure to stop after an accident. Prosecutors explained that evidence did not support a higher charge such as aggravated vehicular homicide, as they could not prove Mynatt had been driving recklessly or under the influence.
During Thursday’s sentencing in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court, Amir’s family delivered powerful victim impact statements. His mother described the emotional toll of losing her son and the pain of knowing Mynatt chose to flee rather than stop and help. “You left him there like he didn’t matter,” she said through tears. “It was no longer an accident, it was a choice.”
Amir’s grandmother, Derenda Malone, echoed the heartbreak, telling the court, “He left him like a piece of trash on the ground and hid for three weeks… Make it make sense, ‘cause it’s not.”
Mynatt, a father of five with a lengthy criminal history and at least 25 license suspensions, told the court he didn’t initially realize he had hit a child and claimed fear led him to flee. Judge Joan Synenberg was unpersuaded. “You are dangerous in our community,” she said, calling his actions “inhumane.”
Along with his prison sentence, Mynatt’s driver’s license has been permanently revoked. Following his incarceration, he will be required to complete a community-based correctional program.
Authorities continue to urge the public to remember Amir Prewitt, not just as a victim, but as a young boy whose life was tragically cut short. “Accidents happen,” said Malone, “but it becomes a problem when you don’t stop.”