SUNRISE, Fla. – A South Florida man turned himself in to authorities Friday in connection with a hit-and-run crash that critically injured a woman last month in Sunrise.
Adrian Perez, 21, faces charges of failing to remain at the scene of an accident involving serious injury and tampering with or fabricating physical evidence.
The crash was reported just after midnight July 15 in the 12600 block of Sunrise Blvd.
Police believe Perez struck Michelle Holguin, 53, while the woman was riding her bicycle home from work at Lester's Diner.
Police said Holguin was wearing black shoes, black pants and a black shirt at the time of the crash.
Authorities said Perez was captured on surveillance video shortly after the crash, checking out the damage to his car at a Mobil gas station at 12580 W. Sunrise Blvd.
The vehicle appeared to have a smashed windshield and front-end damage.
According to an arrest report, Perez texted a friend after the crash and said that he struck a deer with his car.
Police said he then went home and looked online for news stories about the hit-and-run.
Perez, whose mother is a paralegal, appeared in bond court Saturday and was ordered to be placed on house arrest if he posts bail. He will also be subject to random drug and alcohol testing and must surrender his passport.
Perez's mother appeared in court with her son, begging the judge to release her son.
"He got out of the car, saw the damage, went to a gas station and texted his friend -- (told) his friend that he hit a deer, and the deer died," Judge Jill Levy said. "After that, your son looked online to try and get his windshield replaced."
Holguin remains hospitalized in a medically-induced coma. Her coworkers and friends told Local 10 News that they are relieved that someone is finally in custody.