Funeral Saturday for boy who died after Dania Beach hit-and-run

Apollo Brown Jr. to be laid to rest at noon Saturday

DANIA BEACH, Fla. ā€“ Family and friends are preparing to bury an 8-year-old boy who died after a hit-and-run in Dania Beach.

A casket carrying the body of Apollo Brown Jr. was wheeled into the Saint Ruth Missionary Baptist Church the day after Christmas for a viewing held from 6 to 9 p.m. The church is located at 145 NW Fifth Ave. in Dania Beach.

Apollo's funeral is set for 12 p.m. Saturday at the True Praise Family Worship Center, at 502 N 28th Ave. in Hollywood.

Apollo passed away at Memorial Regional Hospital in Hollywood, more than a week after he and his 14-year-old brother, Kelv-Ron Florence, were hit on Bryan Road. The brothers were walking home from a basketball game and the driver fled the scene, deputies said.

Zachary Benjamins, 22, however was arrested for the crime weeks later after a caller alerted deputies.

According to a Broward Sheriff's Office arrest report, Atlantic Coast Collision owner Nick Peppi alerted deputies that he was making repairs to Benjamins' damaged Toyota Tacoma, which matched the description of the vehicle shown on Local 10 News.

Benjamins is facing charges of evidence tampering and leaving the scene of an accident that resulted in death.

His girlfriend was also arrested Tuesday. Deputies said Anaee Barbeito was a passenger in the truck at the time of the crash and was also charged with insurance fraud.

Meanwhile, Kelvin-Ron remains at the hospital and relatives said he is still fighting for his life.

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About the Author:

Andrew Perez is a South Florida native who joined the Local 10 News team in May 2014.