ORANGE CITY, Fla. – Investigators received a tip about the whereabouts of an SUV that was believed to have been involved in a deadly hit-and-run crash Wednesday in Volusia County, the Florida Highway Patrol said.
Troopers located the vehicle -- a silver, 2005 Chevy Tahoe -- in a residential neighborhood about two miles from the crash scene, said Lt. Kim Montes, a spokesperson for the FHP.
The SUV had sustained significant front-end damage, consistent with striking a bicyclist, Montes said.
The vehicle's owner is a woman, and she declined to give troopers an interview without her attorney present, Montes said.
Troopers will process the SUV to collect evidence and to prove forensically that the vehicle was involved in the crash, officials said, adding that troopers are still attempting to locate any possible surveillance video.
Due to an ongoing criminal investigation, troopers are not releasing the address of where the Tahoe was found. The vehicle was taken to an inside storage facility to protect it from the elements, Montes said.
The woman in this case allegedly struck and killed a 72-year-old bicyclist and drove off after she got out of her SUV and looked at the victim, the FHP said earlier Wednesday.
Pedro Carrera Perez, of Orange City, died in the crash, which was reported at 5:15 a.m. on Enterprise Road near Volusia Avenue, not far from Orange City, according to the FHP.
The FHP said the woman was driving north on Enterprise Road when she struck Perez, who was riding in a crosswalk. Perez was thrown from his bike and landed in the road, troopers said.
Perez was taken to Florida Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, according to troopers.
The woman got out her vehicle, looked at Perez and drove off, the FHP said.
"Some guy just got hit by a car, and the lady took off (in her vehicle)," a 911 caller said. "The lady got out, she checked up on him and took off."
The dispatcher asked the caller to see if the man was breathing.
"He's still here in the middle of the street," the caller said. "He is not (moving). I don't think he's breathing. He's gone."
The caller told the dispatcher that the victim was in the area every morning picking up change.
The crash remains under investigation and charges are pending.
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