Family remembers woman killed in hit-and-run

Monica Patterson killed in crash

PERRINE, Fla. – Family members remembered the 55-year-old woman killed in a hit-and-run crash in Perrine on Monday afternoon.

The car that Monica Patterson was riding in was hit by a GMC Denali, police said. Minutes earlier, detectives tried stopping the Denali, but the driver drove away, ran a stop sign, hit the car she was in, and then ran off.

"She was a loving child. She had five kids," said Christine Ponder, Patterson's mother.

Witnesses said the police cars didn't have their emergency lights or sirens activated. Officers broadcasted the Denali's position several times during about eight minutes of police radio transmissions.

"Investigators feel confident after reviewing and listening to radio chatter that there was no police pursuit," said Miami-Dade Police Det. Alvaro Zabaleta. "This individual fled upon sight of officers."

"I just feel like they should not be lying. They should just come out and tell the truth," said Ponder.

Ponder called the driver selfish.

"A lot of people [are] getting killed and they run away. They don't stay to face the consequences of what they've done," she said.

Anyone with information on the hit-and-run crash is asked to call Miami-Dade Crimestoppers at 305-471-TIPS.