A man in Florida was taken into custody this week after he was part of not just one but two hit-and-run incidents, one of which led to the death of a student from Bartow High School as he fled from the initial collision.
Edgardo Joel Rosado Perez, 41, faced charges for departing from the location of a deadly crash, according to the Lakeland Ledger.
The Florida Highway Patrol stated that Perez had dropped off his 18-year-old daughter at school just before 7 a.m. on Wednesday and was involved in a minor crash with a Chevy SUV. He then left the scene, driving at a high speed on Jackson Street, where he hit an 18-year-old student who was on his way to school.
Once more, Perez fled the scene, leaving the student to pass away on the road.
Troopers eventually located Perez’s 2018 Hyundai sedan at his residence in South Lakeland, where it was parked in his garage. Meanwhile, Perez had departed in a blue 2017 Ford Fiesta.
Sheriff’s deputies from Hillsborough County later found the Fiesta at Brandon Mall and discovered Perez inside the mall. Perez is presently detained in Hillsborough County, with a judge expected to review the possibility of transferring him to Polk County on Monday.
A journalist visited Perez’s residence on Wednesday morning and observed the Hyundai parked in the garage, facing outward. The vehicle’s front end and hood were significantly dented, and its windshield had a large hole on the driver’s side. Troopers on the scene asked the journalist not to take photographs.
The Polk County Public Schools confirmed the passing of a student in a traffic collision and mentioned that counselors were present on campus throughout Wednesday.
Relatives identified the teenager as Zachariah Clabough and stated that his father was also fatally hit by a drunk driver three years ago, WTSP reported.
“I can’t believe that we’re having to experience this all over again,” Clabough’s sister, Dakota Runyon, expressed. “The man just got sentenced back in December for killing my dad. And now it’s March and I lose my brother? It’s just so difficult.”
“He was such a kind kid,” she added. “Many people say this about their family and their brothers, but he was genuinely a kind kid. He was very cherished.”
[Featured image: Zachariah Clabough/GoFundMe]