Former political prisoner faces charges after running away from deadly crash
MIAMI - A man who Miami police said ran from the scene of a deadly crash early Monday morning appeared before a judge on Tuesday.
Gilber Caro, 50, was heading west on SW 8 Street in a Chevrolet Tahoe when he hit a Hyundai Sonata driven by Junior Eugene, 29, who ran a red light at SW 42 Street, according to the arrest report. The impact sent the Sonata across the intersection where it hit another vehicle and a palm tree.
When Miami Fire Rescue arrived, they found Eugene had died. The woman who was driving the vehicle he hit was taken to Coral Gables Hospital where she was listed as stable.
While he did not cause the accident, Caro ran from the scene, according to police.
According to the arrest report, at 7 a.m. he called the owner of the Tahoe he had been driving and told her he had been in an accident. He also told her to call 911. Just before 9:30 a.m., he was taken into custody, according to police.
Caro has been charged with leaving the scene of an accident involving a death.
Caro is a former political prisoner from Venezuela. He didn't say much during his court appearance on Tuesday but did become emotional when he answered questions about his past. His bond was set at $15,000.
Miami police have a reminder for anyone involved in an accident.
"We say it over and over again, if you're involved in an accident stay on the scene. The first thing that you should do is call 911 and then see if anybody else is injured. In this case, if Mr. Caro would have stayed on the scene he would not have faced any charges," said police Officer Mike Vega.