A man has been arrested in connection with a hit-and-run in Miami's Little Havana neighborhood that left a well-known South Florida principal's brother dead last week.
Victor Manuel Rubio, 33, was arrested Tuesday on charges of leaving the scene of a crash causing death and false imprisonment.
The charges stem from the March 12 crash that killed 40-year-old Tomas Brito. Brito's brother, Humberto Brito, is the principal of Nautilus Middle School in Miami Beach.
According to an arrest report, Rubio was speeding in his gold 2008 BMW 128i on Southwest 8th Street near Southwest 8th Court shortly after 8:30 p.m. when he struck Brito, who was crossing midblock.
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Video obtained by NBC6 showed Brito being struck by the car. In the video, one can hear when the car hits the brakes but does not stop, taking off as Brito’s body hits the pavement.
Brito was rushed to a nearby hospital but died from his injuries.
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After the crash, Rubio turned off his headlights and fled the scene without stopping to assist Brito, the report said.
The next day, March 13, the BMW was found abandoned with extensive front end damage and a shattered windshield.
The BMW had suspected blood splatter on driver's side and hair embedded in the windshield, the report said.
According to the report, Rubio had reported the BMW stolen just after 10 p.m. on March 12, less than 90 minutes after the fatal hit-and-run.
A witness who spoke with officers at the scene where the BMW was found said he saw a man who was acting strange walking around the neighborhood and getting into and out of the BMW, the report said.
The witness' description of the man matched the characteristics of Rubio, the report said.
Then, on March 15, police were contacted by a person who said they were in the BMW the night of the crash along with another person who'd been picked up by Rubio, the report said.
The witness said Rubio was driving the BMW when he struck the pedestrian, Brito, the report said.
"The defendant was driving at a high rate of speed and ignored all attempts from the witness to slow down," the report said.
The witness said after Rubio fled the scene, he asked several times for the car to be stopped so he could get out because he "did not want any part in what had occurred," the report said.
Rubio refused to let the witness out until he eventually parked and all three people got out of the BMW, the report said.
Rubio said "that he had been to jail three times before and he wasn't going back to jail," then asked to use one of the other males' phone to report the car stolen, the report said.
Police arrested Rubio at his home in Miami on Tuesday. He was in the process of being booked into jail.
The report noted Rubio is on supervised probation for aggravated child abuse until June 3, 2026.
Brito’s family spoke to NBC6 after the fatal incident and before the arrest, saying he had just turned 40 the week before the hit-and-run and leaves two teenage kids behind.
"If they would have stopped instead of just hitting my brother and leaving him bleeding on the ground, lifeless, pretty much, maybe he would still be alive today instead of them hitting him and leaving him on the ground for dead," Humberto Brito said.
Humberto Brito also spoke with NBC6 after news of the arrest broke on Tuesday.
"At this time my family and I would appreciate privacy during this moment of grief but we did want to take the moment to thank the Miami Police Department, Miami-Dade County Police and all the agencies involved in the arrest of this horrendous person who killed my brother, Tomas Brito, on March 12th," he said. "It’s a moment of great brokenness and sadness for my family and I but we did want to thank all of our family and friends, the community, who have been an outpouring of support for us."
