Key Biscayne Police arrested a 17-year-male on two felony charges for what officials described as a hit-and-run collision at the intersection of Westwood Drive and Harbor drive that took place last Friday, Jan. 22.
Police said the individual was charged as a juvenile and the name was not released. Police chief Charles Press said the injuries were minor, but damage to the two vehicles was placed at $10,000 to the driver’s vehicle and $5,000 to the victim’s vehicle. Both occupants of the defendant’s vehicle needed medical attention, according to the police report. After being assisted by the driver of the other vehicle, two passengers in the defendant’s vehicle left the scene and were taken to the hospital by their parents, officers wrote.
Press said the defendant returned to the scene to try and hide evidence, placing suspected alcoholic beverages in bushes nearby.
Prosecutors confirmed the defendant was male. He faces charges of leaving the scene of an accident with non-serious bodily injury, and tampering with physical evidence, both of which are third-degree felonies.
Under normal juvenile court procedures, there is a preference to avoid prosecuting minors as adults for lesser criminal cases, said Ed Griffith, a spokesperson for the State Attorney’s Office. A court date was set for Feb. 5, he said.
Meanwhile, Press said the department is continuing to investigate a fire at the Key Biscayne Beach Club last week in which four chickee huts were burned to the ground.
“People are extremely upset, and they are right to be upset,” Press said. He said officers are making progress in the investigation.
Tony Winton is the editor-in-chief of the Key Biscayne Independent and president of Miami Fourth Estate, Inc. He worked previously at The Associated Press for three decades winning multiple Edward R. Murrow awards. He was president of the News Media Guild, a journalism union, for 10 years. Born in Chicago, he is a graduate of Columbia University. His interests are photography and technology, sailing, cooking, and science fiction.