A former Venezuelan politician arrested in connection to a deadly hit-and-run in Southwest Miami-Dade appeared before a judge on Tuesday.
Fifty-year-old Gilber Alexander Caro is charged with leaving the scene of a crash involving a death.
“He fled from the crash where somebody was killed,” said Judge Mindy S. Glazer.
When a judge asked him how long he has lived in Miami, Caro got emotional and responded in Spanish, saying two and a half years.
The incident occurred Monday morning at the intersection of Southwest Eighth Street and Lejune Road.
According to police, Caro’s 2023 Chevy Tahoe and a Hyundai struck an SUV that allegedly ran a red light.
The crash involved three vehicles, with the driver of the SUV, 29-year-old Junior Eugene, pronounced dead at the scene.
Two vehicles ended up in the parking lot of a Walgreens.
A third driver was treated and released from the hospital.
According to reports, Caro is a former Venezuelan politician, more specifically, a former deputy of the opposition and former political prisoner who fled the country at some point.
He posted on Instagram three days ago, writing in part, in Spanish, that it’s been three years since he escaped the dictatorship.
According to police, they tracked him down because of a to-go sushi order that was near the crash site that had his name and number on it.
Family and friends of the 29-year-old are now mourning the loss of their loved one.
“I didn’t think it was real. I just kept asking his brother like is he telling the truth?” said Shanice Owens, Eugene’s friend.
Owens said she and Eugene were best friends.
“We met in ninth grade in high school and pretty much inseparable,” she said.
She heard the news as she got off the plane.
“I saw his mom and everybody and that’s when it kinda hit me that it’s real,” said Owens.
She said she wishes Caro would’ve called police when the crash happened.
“He should have stayed there. We probably would still have him here today. I hope he gets what he deserves,” said Owens.
Caro has a $15,000 bond for his first degree felony charge. He also has an immigration hold on his case so it’s unlikely he’ll be able to bond out anytime soon.
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Source: wsvn
