Police arrest Miami Lakes lawyer in fatal hit-and-run crash

South African woman killed crossing street in Miami Lakes in early December

MIAMI LAKES, Fla. – Miami-Dade police have arrested a Miami Lakes lawyer accused of killing a woman in a hit-and-run crash in December.

Marcos Gonzalez-Balboa, 65, of northwest Miami-Dade County, faces charges of vehicular homicide, failure to stop at the scene of crash, DUI manslaughter and failure to render aid and tampering with evidence.

Police said Gonzalez-Balboa driving his Mercedes-Benz C-class on Miami Lakes Drive at Fairway Drive about 2:30 a.m. on Dec. 7 when he struck and killed Tatum Holloway.

Holloway, 26, of Cape Town, South Africa, had just bought some food at a nearby McDonald's and was walking across the crosswalk when she hit, police said. The crash threw Holloway into the air and she landed on the curb, police said.

Tatum Holloway was killed when she was struck by a car while crossing Miami Lakes Drive in December.

Police said Gonzalez-Balboa left Holloway on the side of the road. A passerby found Holloway sometime later and called 911.

The Mercedes-Benz was found abandoned a day after the crash, but officers had not been able to identify Gonzalez-Balboa as the driver until now.

According to his website, Gonzalez-Balboa has been a personal injury attorney for more than 30 years. His Miami Lakes office is less than two miles from the scene of the crash.

Holloway's family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Gonzalez-Balboa on Tuesday, seeking up to $15,000 in damages.

"For four months Tatum's parents waited to learn what happened to their daughter and tonight they finally have some answers," David Bianchi, an attorney for the Holloway family, said. "The fact that he is a lawyer makes this horrible tragedy all the more outrageous." 

Holloway worked as an auctioneer for Park West Gallery and was in the Miami area for business. The gallery operates art galleries on cruise ships and holds live art auctions onboard. 

"Tatum was an angel and she never would have treated the man who killed her as he treated her. He never even stopped to assist her," Bianchi said.

Gonzalez-Balboa was being held at Miami-Dade County's Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center on $150,000 bond.

He appeared in court Wednesday morning, where his bond was reduced to $75,000. If he posts bail, he will be placed on house arrest and will not be allowed to drive.