PALM SPRINGS, FL– A 26-year-old man has been arrested after attempting to report his vehicle stolen after hitting a pedestrian and fleeing the scene.
The fatal accident was reported on Sunday at Military Trail and Forest Hill Boulevard.
Authorities say they responded to the scene around 8:28 a.m. to find 54-year-old Ramon Alonso-Castellon dead in the roadway.
Officials then discovered a 2023 Dodge Charger abandoned on Forest Lane, just east of Military Trail.
Authorities say while investigating the hit-and-run, they made contact with the owner of the vehicle, Juan Luis Valladares.
Valladares initially told them that had had not been involved in an accident and his vehicle had been stolen.
As the investigation progressed, however, Valladares admitted to being the one who hit Alonso-Castellon and fled the scene.
Officials learned that Valladares had been driving the vehicle at a high rate of speed when he struck Alonso-Castellon while he was in the process of crossing the street.
Valladares then fled northbound on military trail and abandoned the vehicle.