MIAMI (WSVN) - A man accused of hitting a man at a Miami bus stop and fleeing the scene appeared in bond court on Thursday.
Rodrigo De La Torre, 36, stood before Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Veronica A. Diaz, Thursday afternoon.
He faces multiple charges including leaving the scene of a crash with serious bodily injuries.
Prosecutors said this isn’t De La Torre’s first brush with the law.
“This defendant is currently on probation out of Gilchrist County. It’s drug offender probation,” said a prosecutor. “He’s on probation until March 13th of 2022. I also have a copy of the defendant’s traffic printout where he does have a prior arrest for leaving the scene of a crash.”
Police arrested De La Torre on Wednesday after he allegedly hit a 63-year-old man at a bus bench in the area of Northwest Seventh Avenue and 58th Street.
Surveillance video from a nearby market captured the moment of impact.
Cellphone video showed good Samaritans rushing to the victim’s side. One of them said he’s a familiar figure in the neighborhood.
“It’s like a daily routine. You get him a beer, he comes back out, and he’ll sit out here sometimes,” said good Samaritan Jeff Berry.
Surveillance video from inside the convenience store near the bus stop captured the victim paying for a purchase moments before the crash.
City of Miami Fire Rescue crews transported the victim to Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center with a broken pelvis and an injury to his liver.
“It’s just sad. I can’t believe it,” said Berry.
According to the arrest report, De La Torre told officers he was reaching for his cellphone that had fallen before he felt his car jump the curb. He said he only saw a tree and kept going, stopping at a nearby parking lot shortly after to check out the damage to his car.
Police later arrested him a couple of blocks away from the crash scene.
Investigators said his car had damage matching evidence left behind at the scene.
They also found over 100 used nitrous oxide cartridges inside of his vehicle. Police said they tend to be used as whipped cream chargers.
“We don’t know if this is the case in here, but we have experienced that people will get these whippets and use them to inhale it,” said Miami Police Officer Michael Vega, “and it would give them a few minutes of a rush, of feeling lightheaded, and it becomes an addiction.”
De La Torre is being held on a $50,000 bond. He has been ordered to house arrest and issued a no drive order.
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