Arrest Made In Connection To Hit-And-Run Death Of Bicyclist
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) – Police have arrested a suspect in the northwest Miami-Dade hit and run that killed a man on his bike Monday morning.
Miami-Dade police Det.Marjorie Eloi said the driver of a 2014 silver Mazda struck the bicyclist on NW 199th Street near NW 58th Avenue just before 5 a.m. The injured man, identified as 67-year-old Braulio "Ozzie" Perez, was airlifted to Jackson Memorial Hospital where he died.
"This is totally devastating to the entire family," said family spokesman Jeff Vance.
After the accident the driver abandoned the car, which turned out to be stolen, and took off on foot.
On Monday night, police said they arrested 18-year-old Jonathan Taylor in connection to the hit and run.
Authorities are charging Taylor with leaving the scene with a death, vehicular homicide and no valid driver's license with a death.
Vance said Perez and a group of friends regularly went for pre-dawn rides in the neighborhood.
"The rode every morning at the same time, they were doing a loop out on 199th Street, he was about ready to come home, they had already done their ride, he was only three blocks from home and he didn't have a chance," said Vance. "The car hit him head on."
Perez's death was the subject of conversation at Coral Way bicycle shop where they know a grim statistic.
A comprehensive new report on bicyclist deaths is dismal, leaving those who toil at the problem asking themselves whether to blame the roads or the people using them.
"Other areas where I have ridden people are more cautious. They see you on the road and they kind of give you your space," said Freddie Vierra.
The report released earlier in January by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention finds that Florida has the highest rate of bicycling deaths of any state in the nation — 0.57 per 100,000 people, more than double the nationwide rate of 0.23 per 100,000.
Perhaps more disturbing, while other states have found ways to dramatically cut bicycle deaths during two periods measured over the last three decades, Florida has barely made a dent — reducing the number less than 10 percent. Only Wyoming made a poorer showing.
Vance said Perez's death shook his family to their core.
"The whole family is torn apart. We don't know how to cope with this because nobody expected anything to happen to this guy," said Vance. "He was a great guy, he worked at Magic City Casino and everybody loved him."
For years Perez was a fixture at the Magic City Casino where he managed the dog track.
Izzy Havenick's family owns the track and casino.
"(He) taught me all about dog racing, how dog racing worked. How the track made money off dog racing," Havenick said.
Perez leaves behind two sons and a grandson.
