A 23-year-old Ottawa man remained in critical condition in a Miami, Florida, hospital on Monday, the victim of a hit-and-run early the previous day.
Det. Alvaro Zabaleta with the Miami-Dade Police Department, said Alexander Sanghwan was walking on the edge of the road at NE Fifth Avenue and NE 180th Street around 5 a.m. Sunday when he was struck by a navy blue BMW 335i.
The driver fled without helping Sanghwan, Zabaleta said.
“It’s tragic. Luckily, he’s still alive,” Zabaleta said. “You don’t just hit a human being and drive away and leave him there like they’re just a piece of meat.”
Sanghwan was taken to the Jackson Memorial Hospital Trauma Center. Police said Sanghwan’s family came from Ottawa to be by his side in Miami.
“It just makes it that much worse when you have somebody who is visiting our town and something like this happens,” Zabaleta said. “Obviously, this isn’t the way we want our visitors treated.”
Reports in Miami said Sanghwan was in Miami-Dade for the Ultra Music Festival. Police said he and his friends had just left a club around 5:30 a.m. and were looking for a cab when Sanghwan was struck.
Anyone with information can call Crime Stoppers at 305-471-8477.
