Man Charged In Hit & Run Crash In West Miami
MIAMI (CBSMiami) – A prosecutor says a 30-year-old Miami man may not survive after being struck by a hit-and-run driver who police say was drunk and ran a red light.
New details about the injuries that Alexander Rodas suffered emerged during a bond court hearing for the suspect in this case.
The prosecutor told the Judge that Rodas had several fractures to his face, severe head trauma, was intubated at Jackson Memorial Hospital and might not survive his injuries. Rodas' family members had also said he had injuries to his face, head and leg.
The incident began just after midnight Wednesday when someone one Rodas knows was riding Rodas' scooter and was pulled over by a West Miami police officer.
Rodas, his wife and one of their children went to pick up the scooter.
As he drove away on the scooter, Rodas' wife, Patricia Hernandez, said he was hit by a truck which was speeding southbound on Red Road and ran a red light at SW 8th Street. The driver of the truck was later identified as 49-year old Robert Velazco.
Hernandez told CBS4's Peter D'Oench, "We were standing right here. The car came by and ran the red light. The man hit him and fled. Just like you would run over an animal. He is my husband. Please let the full extent of the law fall on him. Because he is not an animal. He is a human being."
As Rodas' family rushed to help him, witnesses called 9-1-1.
"All I saw was a white truck coming down this street and he hit the motorcyclist and didn't come back or anything," said Noemi Hicks. "I saw the guy on the floor, he was bleeding a lot, he had blood all over his shirt. His legs, he looked like he had broken his legs, stuff like that."
"It's crazy. I was shocked. It could have been one of my family members," she said. "It was just horrible. It was horrific. You wouldn't want that to happen to anyone."
As paramedics worked on Rodas his wife became very emotional and had to be moved away from the ambulance.
Rodas was taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital.
A short time after the accident a Miami-Dade police officer caught Velazco and charged him with leaving the scene of an accident. Rodas' family says officers told them Velazco was drunk.
Detectives say they don't plan to charge the woman in Velazco's car, and they are trying to pull footage from red light cameras at the intersection to aid in their investigation.
Velazco appeared Wednesday afternoon in misdemeanor bond court. He was ordered held on $15,000 but that's not the total bond. He will have to appear in felony court on Thursday.
The Judge noted that Velazco had previous arrests in 2008 for drug possession and 2011 for possession of a firearm by a felon, even though Velazco stated in open court, "Your honor I have not been in trouble for 10 years. I made a mistake."
During his appearance, he asked to be custody release to his mother. The judge replied that wasn't possible because "You still have to see a felony judge."
Police said the woman in Velazco's truck lead them to where he was at his mother's home in Southwest Miami-Dade and that's where he was arrested.
D'Oench also spoke with Velazco's mother who said she did not want to comment or give an on camera statement. She said Velazco was a "good son" and had not been arrested before for drunk driving.
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