Police: Driver Who Hit Canadian Tourist & Fled Has Been Arrested
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) - The driver of a BMW accused of hitting a young Canadian tourist outside a strip club, and then fleeing the scene, has been arrested.
Alexander Sangwhan, 22, was in South Florida for the Ultra Music Festival. Sunday morning he, his brother and friends left the King of Diamonds adult club at 5:30 a.m.
Unable to find a taxi, they began walking down NE 5th Avenue. It was when they reached near 180th Street that Sangwhan was hit by a car.
According to Miami-Dade police, 26-year-old Olivia Bennett was behind the wheel.
"He didn't have any opportunity, no chance to move out-of-the-way, defend himself. He was just struck from behind," said Sangwhan's mother Patti Sangwhan. The family appealed to the public for help to catch the person responsible for striking Sangwhan.
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From debris at the accident scene, police were able to locate Bennett's 2011 BMW 328I, which had damage consistent to what was found at the crash site. The car had been abandoned in the parking lot of Tootsies at 150 NW 183rd Street.
"He (the driver) hit him hard enough on the left front of the car that it actually caused the grill to come off and lay on the roadway and it was found near where the victim was," said Miami-Dade police Detective George Wilhelm.
Bennett apparently went to the law offices of Gerald Tobin, where she indicated she wished to turn herself into authorities.
She is now facing one count of leaving the scene of a crash with serious bodily injury and one count of reckless driving with serious bodily injury.
Sangwhan's family told CBS4 News Monday night, he remains in a medically-induced coma.
His family describes him as a bright young man, with a bright future. Accepted to medical school, Sangwhan is planning to become a surgeon. Now it's he who may need brain surgery.
"We can only be hopeful that he will take a turn for the better not the worse," said Patti Sangwhan.
"He came here to have fun and then this kind of thing happened. It's unreal," said Sangwhan's father Robbie.
