Surveillance Tape Shows Victim Moments Before Fatal Hit & Run
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NORTHWEST MIAMI-DADE (CBSMiami) - New surveillance tape obtained by CBS4 shows the heart-wrenching final moments in the life of a man with cerebral palsy whose life is taken by a hit-and-run driver late Saturday night.
The surveillance tape from Mr. Mike's Supermarket shows 48-year-old Rudy Aponte wearing a brown shirt and limping away from the store. Milagros Ortiz, who had been friends with him for the past 7 years, is seen in the video with him, clutching a bag with items they had purchased for a party. They were headed to her apartment that was nearby.
Seconds after they are captured on surveillance tape, Aponte is struck and killed by a car that does not stop. That car is seen briefly at the top of the screen in the surveillance heading southbound on N.W. 32nd Ave. at N.W. 46th St.
Ortiz said it happened right in front of her.
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She told CBS4's Peter D'Oench, "What happened here was a crime. The persons need to be found, for him, for justice. My friend was brutally murdered and killed by somebody that wasn't responsible at the time."
Ortiz and Aponte were headed eastbound across N.W. 32nd Ave.
"The car didn't stop for nothing," she told D'Oench. "It didn't stop. It killed my best friend. This was a horrible moment."
George Davis saw what happened.
"I heard a loud noise," he said. "A boom. I looked up and saw the guy flipping over the car. And the car kept on speeding. I would never leave someone like that, from the bottom of my heart. That's what I learned."
Davis said another witness tried to run after the vehicle that hit Aponte to get a license tag. He said that witness gave his information to Miami-Dade Police.
Miami-Dade Police said Aponte was struck by a small, dark-colored vehicle that should have significant damage to its windshield and front end.
CBS4 was at the crime scene when detectives returned to N.W. 32nd Ave. to pass out flyers, asking for the public's help.
They spoke to drivers when they stopped at red lights. One detective told drivers, "We're looking for a dark colored car that struck and killed a gentleman this weekend. It has damage to a front windshield."
One driver, Otto Freeman, said, "This is sad. This is sick. They need to put him in jail."
Anonka Davis who was a friend of Aponte said, "He was a great guy. He was very happy and very friendly. He would not harm anyone."
Anyone with information should call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at (305) 471-TIPS (8477) or 1 (866) 471-8477.
Those with information call also visit www.crimestoppersmiami.com and select "Give a Tip" or send a text message to 274637. Enter CSMD followed by the tip information and press send. If the tip leads to the arrest of the subject(s), the tipster may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000. All calls are kept strictly anonymous.
