HOLLYWOOD, Fla. — Hollywood police arrested a 59-year-old man on Tuesday in connection with a deadly hit-and-run crash.
The crash happened at around 1:30 a.m. on May 17 along North Federal Highway, near Thomas Street.
Police said Ali Metin Kaldirimoglu, who lives in the Hollywood Lakes neighborhood, was driving a Dodge Grand Caravan south when he hit a man crossing the street to go to Artie’s Sportsmen’s Lounge, “throwing him toward the fence” of a neighboring used car dealership and killing him.
The victim’s name was redacted from a Hollywood Police Department report obtained by Local 10 News.
Authorities said surveillance video from South Broward High School and the Budget Inn motel showed that Kaldirimoglu drove about two blocks south and turned onto Scott Street to briefly inspect the damage.
Detectives said he then continued driving west.
Five days later, they said they found the minivan parked outside of Kaldirimoglu‘s home in the 1200 block of Hollywood Boulevard.
Authorities said he tried to cover the minivan with a white towel to conceal the damage and said it was held down with a brick; investigators then seized the vehicle pursuant to a warrant.
The report states that Kaldirimoglu‘s attorney showed up while police were processing the van and claimed, without providing information, that his client wished to surrender. Kaldirimoglu, police said, was working at a restaurant in Boca Raton at the time.
Police said DNA evidence and cellphone data placed him as the driver the night of the crash.
Following his arrest on charges of leaving the scene of a crash causing death and evidence tampering, Kaldirimoglu remained at the Broward Main Jail as of Wednesday on a $51,000 bond.
Copyright 2025 by WPLG Local10.com - All rights reserved.
