POMPANO BEACH, Fla. – A 24-year-old driver with a suspended license was taken into custody Sunday after a hit-and-run crash that killed two people on a motorized scooter. Evil Danilo Morataya Perez faces serious charges for the early morning crash that happened on South Dixie Highway.
When Broward Sheriff’s Office deputies arrived at the scene, just before 6:41 a.m., they found the mangled Honda scooter on the side of the road along with the victims.
“The scooter was apparently traveling northbound on South Dixie Highway when a vehicle, described as a silver Toyota Camry, rear-ended the vehicle. That vehicle then took off from the scene,” said Broward Sheriff’s Office Sergeant Donald Prichard, said.
The two men on the scooter, one in his 40s and the other in his 50s, according to BSO, died from their injuries.
The impact was so hard that the victims' shoes were among the debris scattered across the scene near Southwest 12th Street and South Dixie Highway.
The road was shut down for hours as traffic homicide investigators collected clues.
The Broward County Medical Examiner arrived to remove the remains allowing first responders to clean up the scene.
BSO said there were a few witnesses to the double deadly hit-and-run. In fact, the alert eyes of a Good Samaritan may be responsible for helping deputies crack the case.
“A citizen had made a call in reference to this crash and they located a vehicle based on that citizen complaint,” Prichard said.
The silver Camry was found several blocks away and after a brief round of questioning, police said Perez attempted to flee again but was ultimately arrested.
He faces multiple charges including two counts of failure to stop and remain at an accident involving death and two counts for driving with a suspended license causing death or serious injury.
Local 10 learned that earlier this year, Perez was in court for a different charge of being involved in a separate accident not far from where Sunday’s hit-and-run occurred.
Perez remains in the Broward County Jail and appeared in front of a judge on Monday. During the hearing, the judge said Perez had tried to run away from police when they showed up at his home to arrest him.
He is being held without bond as he currently has an immigration hold.