MIAMI (WSVN) - Police have arrested an alleged hit-and-run driver who hit a pedestrian at a Miami bus bench.
City of Miami Police and Fire Rescue units were called to the scene in the area of Northwest Seventh Avenue and 58th Street, just after 2:30 p.m., Wednesday.
According to police, a gray Lexus sedan hit a bus bench and a nearby 63-year-old pedestrian and fled in a southbound direction.
The man was taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center with a broken pelvis and an injury to his liver.
Jeff Berry said he heard the crash and ran out to see what had happened.
“Seventh Avenue is just like the Daytona 500,” Berry said. “As you see from standing out here, people are speeding all the time. I don’t know if somebody cut him off, which I don’t think it was. All I saw was this black vehicle when he crossed the intersection right here on 58th Street. Next thing I know — ‘Bam!’ All the noise, and I came up on him when the guy was out on the ground.”
Police said they caught up to the alleged hit-and-run driver, later identified as 36-year-old Rodrigo De La Torre, and arrested him a few blocks away.
Surveillance video captured the dark-colored sedan hitting the bus bench and driving away from the scene.
“The guy was laid out right there,” Berry added while pointing at the tree. “[The driver] blasted off. It’s just sad. I can’t believe it.”
Cellphone video showed several good Samaritans attending to the injured man seconds after the collision and flagging down nearby Miami Police officers.
Surveillance video from inside a nearby convenience store showed the man walking in, purchasing a beer and walking out the front door towards the bus stop. Moments later, the man was hit by the sedan.
“It’s like a daily routine, he’ll get a beer and come back out and sit out here sometimes,” said Berry.
The crash came as a complete shock to those who knew the victim.
7News cameras captured traffic homicide detectives returning to the scene to investigate the crash.
Cameras also captured the destroyed bus bench laying on the sidewalk, and a destroyed bicycle could be seen resting against a tree.
According to the arrest report, De La Torre told responding officers he was reaching for his phone that had fallen and felt his car hit the street curb and something else. He said he looked around but only saw trees, so he made his way to a nearby parking lot to check out the damage to his vehicle.
Investigators said his car had damage that matched evidence left behind at the scene.
Police said, more than 100 used nitrous oxide whippet cartridges and a whipped cream canister were found inside of his vehicle.
De La Torre is facing multiple charges including leaving the scene of a crash with serious bodily injuries.
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