More than three months after a pedestrian was struck and killed in a hit-and-run in northwest Miami-Dade, police have arrested and charged the alleged driver.
Carlos Ariel Rodriguez, 23, was arrested Wednesday on charges including vehicular homicide in a reckless manner, leaving the scene of a crash involving death, tampering with physical evidence, and driving with a suspended license causing death, an arrest report said.
The incident happened around 3:45 a.m. on June 22, when Rodriguez was driving a 2019 BMW 330i south on Northwest 32nd Avenue approaching Northwest 103rd Street in West Little River, the report said.
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The victim, Felix A. Benitez, was walking along the sidewalk and went into the crosswalk to cross Northwest 32nd Avenue when he was struck by the BMW, the report said.
Surveillance video showed the BMW speeding and not stopping at a red traffic signal, and Benitez was vaulted onto the roadway and slid several feet, the report said.
Benitez was rushed to Jackson Memorial Hospital's Ryder Trauma Center where he died from his injuries.
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Investigators later found the BMW in the backyard of a home on Northwest 95th Terrace. It had a tarp over it but officers could see a large indentation on the front hood area, the report said.
Officers got a warrant and searched the vehicle, which had damage to the front grille, hood and windshield "consistent with that of striking a pedestrian," the report said.
The report said a co-defendant was caught on camera buying an auto tarp, and that video also showed Rodriguez and the co-defendant returning to the home immediately after buying the tarp and going to the back, where the car was kept.
Detectives discovered in August that the two also communicated about getting a windshield and grille for the vehicle and finding someone to repair it, the report said.
It was also learned that Rodriguez's license had been suspended on Jan. 30, the report said.
Rodriguez was located and taken into custody on Wednesday, before he was booked into jail. Attorney information wasn't available.
