Woman charged after fatal hit-and-run in Dania Beach leaves man dead
Keila Maldonado, 21, was arrested after a hit-and-run on Sheridan Street killed a man. Bond was set at $51,000.
Dania Beach hit-and-run: woman arrested after fatal crash on Sheridan Street
A 21-year-old woman has been arrested in connection with a fatal hit-and-run in Dania Beach, Florida, nbcmiami.com reports. Keila Maldonado faces charges of failing to stop and remain at an accident involving death, and tampering with or fabricating evidence.
At approximately 1:32 a.m. on Saturday, the Broward Sheriff's Office received a call about a hit-and-run near the 200 block of Sheridan Street. Deputies and fire rescue crews arrived to find a man lying on the roadway; he was pronounced dead at the scene. His identity has not been released.
Investigators determined the man had been crossing the westbound lanes of Sheridan Street when he was struck by a Hyundai. The driver did not remain at the scene.
Vehicle traced to North Miami Beach dealership
Detectives received a tip that the suspect vehicle was located at a dealership in North Miami Beach. When they arrived, the vehicle — a rental — was secured in a parking garage and showed damage consistent with a collision.
A dealership employee told investigators that Maldonado, who also works there, had asked him for a repair estimate on the car she had been driving. Upon inspecting the vehicle, the employee concluded the damage was not caused by a crash with another vehicle. When he questioned Maldonado, she told him she had been driving near Hollywood, struck someone, and left the scene, according to the arrest report.
The employee informed his manager, who then spoke with Maldonado and requested the vehicle's key. Maldonado initially left the dealership but returned after the manager called her back.
Maldonado's account to detectives
Speaking with detectives, Maldonado said she had taken the vehicle from the dealership without authorisation the day before the incident and drove to a beach in Hollywood. On her way back, she said she was unsure which road she was on when she struck a person on a scooter.
After the collision, she parked at a nearby shopping plaza, where she observed police and ambulances responding to the scene. She remained there for roughly an hour and did not contact law enforcement, the report states.
Detectives gave Maldonado the option of returning voluntarily to Broward County or being arrested by the Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office and extradited. She chose to accompany detectives back to Broward, where she was taken into custody.
During a court appearance on Sunday, a judge set her bond at $51,000.
Residents in the area told NBC6 that the stretch of Sheridan Street where the crash occurred is known to be hazardous. "It is dangerous. I'm sorry to hear that someone died," said Edvard Legrand, a pastor at a nearby church.
Source: Google News MT — Crime (en)