SOUTHWEST MIAMI-DADE, FLA. (WSVN) - Newly released audio from interviews recorded after, police said, a woman struck South Dade High School Principal Javier Perez suggests she should not have been driving in the first place.
Police have accused 51-year-old Marilyn Aguilera of driving drunk and striking South Dade Principal Javier Perez. The audio shows an investigator interviewing witnesses.
“This is Detective Perez from Miami-Dade Police Traffic Homicide Unit, investigating a crash that happened off of 117th Avenue, Southwest 24 street,” said the investigator. “Presently, I’m on the scene, the time is 7:50 p.m., the crash occurred roughly around 6:27 p.m.”
Aguilera’s son said his mother was drunk before the incident. “I could already tell that she was a bit buzzed, tipsy,” he said.
Aguilera’s son told police he got into an argument with his mother the evening of the April 26 incident, which took place near Tamiami Park.
Part of the interview with Aguilera’s son went as follows:
Officer: “So you noticed that she was intoxicated?”
Son: “Yeah.”
Officer: “Then what happened?”
Son: “And then I took away her keys.”
Officer: “OK.”
Son: “And then she started getting very, uh, pissed off, and I did not want to fight with her, so I just let her be a big girl, and you know take the keys, ’cause you know, I can’t stop her from doing something.”
Witnesses also described what they saw.
“She was going extremely fast, and she lost control and went straight into the baseball field,” said Crystal Hernandez. “There was a man under the car with severe injury.”
“As it bounced off the center median, it spun around approximately two to three times,” said Chris Clute.
Perez lost both legs in the crash and spent months in the hospital. He was released in July. However, he is still working to recover.
Aguilera is currently under house arrest, charged with DUI with injury. Police said her blood alcohol level was three times the legal limit the night of the crash.
Photos were also released of the crash scene, with one image showing an empty beer can on the floor of the SUV.
Friends and family have set up a GoFundMe page to raise money to cover the expenses of Perez’s recovery. It has since raised more than $152,000. If you would like to make a donation, click here.
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