Miami Beach Police Seeking Clues In Hit-And-Run Death Of Tourist
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MIAMI BEACH (CBSMiami) – Miami Beach Police are looking for the speeding driver of a car that struck and killed a tourist and then fled, leaving behind his BMW convertible on Collins Avenue and the three women who were inside his car.
CBS4's Peter D'Oench caught up with those women early Tuesday afternoon as they left Miami Beach Police headquarters after being questioned for ten hours. And while police say they stayed on the scene after the accident, they bolted from the Washington Avenue headquarters.
"Would you like to say anything?" one of the women was asked.
"Get out of my face," she replied. "Get out of my face."
She was still wearing a white hazardous material suit that she was given at the crime scene because she was covered in blood from the accident.
Police have not said if the women helped them in their investigation or if they were able to identify the hit-and-run driver.
Dozens of markers were scatted around the area of Collins Avenue and 11th Street where the accident happened.
Tony Gonzalez, a tourist, said, "We thought it was a big brawl. I didn't know anyone got hit. I didn't know it was that severe."
It was around 2:30 a.m. when Miami Beach Police said an officer spotted a now smashed-up BMW convertible speeding south on Collins Avenue.
Before the officer could pull the driver over, they say the car slammed into the man who was walking across Collins Avenue.
Witness Samuel Simpson said, "I saw car speeding real fast, going at least 100 miles per hour and I heard a loud boom. I thought he hit a car until I saw the guy lying in the street."
Investigators said the victim was in the pedestrian crosswalk. It was not clear if he had the right of way or not. The impact was so severe that the man's body ended up half way down the block.
Simpson said, "He flew up in the air because he got hit in the corner and was in the middle of the block."
Miami Beach Police spokesman, Office Ernesto Rodriguez, said, "Due to the velocity of the vehicle, it ended up closer to 10th Street. That goes to show how fast the vehicle was actually traveling."
Witnesses said the victim was with a friend and they were on vacation and visiting from the United Kingdom. He was pronounced dead on the scene.
Rodriguez said of the suspect, "Initially he was wearing all black. He had black pants and a black shirt. He is a black male with short cropped hair and a witness observed him removing that black shirt to wipe blood from his face and that shirt was left somewhere."
Gonzalez said, "With all the fast race cars that come up and down here, the excessive driving and it could be alcohol involved too, it is scary. You have got to be cautious when you cross the street."
So far the victim has not been identified.
It is not known if the speeding driver had been drinking or taking drugs.
Anyone with information that can help is urged to call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at (305) 471-TIPS (8477).