A 12-year-old girl knocked down and killed a man and his dog as her father tried to teach her how to drive with a two-year-old in the back seat, police say.

Tomás Mejía Tol now faces charges of criminally negligent homicide and endangering a child after his Ford Explorer SUV struck Enrique Vazquez, 47, who was out walking his three dogs.

According to police, Meija’s daughter was at the wheel to practice driving – and she hit the accelerator instead of the brake.

Mr Vazquez died at the scene in Houston, Texas, on Thursday, and one of his dogs died later.

Witnesses said they saw officers giving the young girl a field sobriety test after the crash.

Meija is due to appear in court on Monday

One woman told ABC13: “They did her like she was drunk. We were wondering why they would do that test on her if she’s just like a teenager. She’s not supposed to be drunk or anything.”

Sean Teare, chief of the Vehicular Crimes Unit at the Harris County District Attorney’s Office, told NBC News that Meija said he was teaching his daughter how to drive and was in the passenger seat at the time.

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Documents from the Harris County District Attorney’s Office allege Meija allowed the child to “operate a motor vehicle with no driver’s license and no driving experience”.