A Miami family is in shock after a hit-and-run in Little Havana left a man dead and has police searching for the driver.
A Miami family is in shock after a hit-and-run in Little Havana left a man dead and has police searching for the driver.
The incident happened just after 8 p.m. Tuesday as the man was crossing Southwest 8th Street near Southwest 8th Court.
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Police said the man was not in the crosswalk when he was struck by the car, which fled the scene.
Surveillance video showed the car hit the man and keep going.
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Family members identified the victim as Tomas Brito. He had just turned 40 last week and leaves two teenage kids behind.
"This destroys both of us, we’re very young, and now we don’t have a father figure for the rest of our lives," son Kaleb Brito said. "It’s horrible, somebody could’ve stepped out and helped him, but nobody chose to, they hit him and they just left, that’s not OK, they should’ve stopped, seen if he’s OK.”
Tomas Brito's brother, Humberto Brito, is the principal of Nautilus Middle School in Miami Beach. He said the family is devastated by the loss.
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"The fact that it was a hit-and-run and that this person, this individual who's still out there, has not been apprehended or identified," Humberto Brito said. "If they would have stopped instead of just hitting my brother and leaving him bleeding on the ground, lifeless, pretty much, maybe he would still be alive today instead of them hitting him and leaving him on the ground for dead."
Officials later confirmed that a BMW found on Coral Way and Southwest 14th Avenue is the vehicle involved in the hit-and-run.
"We’re losing a huge heart, incredible person, and someone that I really want to find justice for with this terrible tragedy," Humberto Brito said. "Accidents happen, but it’s never OK and completely horrendous in this situation is the fact that this person left another human being for dead on the ground by hitting them and taking off.”
Police said the BMW has a smashed windshield. They also said an arrest was pending.
"If the driver of this vehicle would’ve stopped on scene, he probably wouldn’t have gotten charged, but by leaving the scene of the accident, now he’s facing multiple charges, once he is arrested," Miami Police spokesman Michael Vega said. "I just can’t conceive how someone would hit another person and actually leave them there to die rather than try to render aid."
Officials also said it's a perfect example of why they’re cracking down on jay walking, and want to send the message that pedestrians must cross in crosswalks.
Police are still investigating and are asking anyone who may have seen anything to contact them.
