"Our hearts are broken:" 15-month-old son of MMA fighter Marcus Kowal killed by suspected drunk driver

HAWTHORNE, California -- The 15-month-old son of MMA fighter Marcus Kowal has died after he was struck in a hit-and-run crash by a suspected drunk driver over the Labor Day holiday weekend.

Kowal announced the death of his son, Liam Michael Kowal on his Facebook page on Sunday night, September 4th.



“About an hour ago, our baby was declared brain dead. He tried to fight so hard. He even died at one point but they brought him back. He’s a little fighter,” Kowal wrote. “Our hearts are broken and there’s a void in my soul but we will get through this… RIP Liam Mikael Kowal.”

Liam was in a stroller being pushed by a 15-year-old girl when they were both struck near the intersection of Hawthorne Boulevard and 133th Street late Saturday afternoon, September 3rd, according to a GoFundMe page set up to pay for the little boy’s funeral.

Officers responded to the scene and found the teen and the toddler lying near the crosswalk, according to a Hawthorne Police Department news release.

Liam, who was taken to the hospital and placed in the ICU, succumbed to his injuries, according to the GoFundMe page. The 15-month-old boy had no pulse and was not breathing when witnesses found him, police said in a Facebook post.

The teen suffered serious injuries and was last reported to be in stable condition.

Police arrested 72-year-old Donna Marie Higgins after the crash. Higgins allegedly fled the scene and was arrested on hit-and-run and DUI charges, the release stated.

She was booked into jail and being held on $100,000 bail, police said.

Liam’s organs will be donated, his father said on Facebook Monday.

“This isn’t easy to write but Liam is going to donate his organs, so that his little heart can make another child live and another set of parents not have to go through what we have to,” Kowal’s post stated.