APOPKA, Fla. – A man is facing multiple charges months after he ran a stop sign in a BMW that he took from his girlfriend, caused a crash that killed a 64-year-old woman, then fled the scene, according to the Apopka Police Department.
Authorities said the crash happened around 11:40 p.m. on April 1 at the intersection of West Michael Gladden Boulevard and South Hawthorne Avenue.
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Through their investigation, police said they learned Emmanuel Cazeau Jr. was driving his girlfriend's BMW when he ran a stop sign going at about 60 mph, entering the direct path of a Chevrolet van. The impact of the crash caused the van to flip and the BMW to land on top of a fence line.
Cazeau and the man who was in the BMW with him were gone by the time first responders arrived, but witnesses were able to provide descriptions of the men, according to the affidavit.
Aurora Rodarte, 64, was pinned inside the van. She died at the scene of the crash.
The driver of the van, Urbano Rodarte-Reyes, said he was on his way to get cough medicine for Rodarte when the crash happened. He sustained spinal injuries in the crash that required two rods and 28 screws. Family members said he would need extensive rehabilitation in order to walk normally again.
Police said they found blood, a Sytrofoam cup that smelled of alcohol, cocaine, Alprazolam, Oxycodone, and amphetamine in the BMW.
On Thursday, police said Cazeau, 35, was arrested in connection with the crash. He's facing charges of vehicular homicide, leaving the scene of a crash with death, leaving the scene of a crash with serious bodily injury, and reckless driving involving serious bodily injury.