A father and son from Plantation are facing charges in connection with a Fort Lauderdale hit-and-run crash that killed a bicyclist in December.
Pedro David Vasallo, 64, and his son Pedro David Vasallo II, 24, were arrested by Fort Lauderdale Police on Tuesday on arrest warrants stemming from the Dec. 14 crash that killed 58-year-old Kenneth Solovay, said Det. Ali Adamson, a spokesperson for the police department.
Vasallo II is facing one count of leaving the scene of a crash involving death; his father is facing one count of accessory after the fact, jail records show.
Shortly after 6 a.m. Dec. 14, the bicyclist was struck by a silver 2019 Mercedes-Benz as he rode on Davie Boulevard near the intersection of the entrance ramp onto Interstate 95 northbound, according to an arrest warrant.
The man’s name is redacted in the arrest warrant but police previously publicly identified him as Solovay. He was pronounced dead at Broward Health Medical Center.
Vasallo II was seen on surveillance cameras leaving his job at SWAY Nightclub early on the morning of Dec. 14 in a silver Mercedes-Benz, and the same car was recorded on surveillance cameras in the area of the crash just minutes before the bicyclist was struck, the warrant said.
A silver-colored front bumper piece found at the scene and the surveillance cameras led detectives to identify the suspect’s car, which was registered to two women who are relatives of Vasallo II, according to the arrest warrant.
An officer went to the home address where the car was registered, looking for the silver Mercedes-Benz. A man who said he is the family attorney led the officer to the backyard of the home across the street, where other relatives of Vasallo II live, according to the warrant.
The Mercedes-Benz parked in the backyard had damage on its front-right corner, hood and windshield, the warrant said, matching evidence found at the crash scene.
A judge issued a search warrant for home surveillance cameras at both the address where Vasallo II lived and the relatives’ home across the street, according to the warrant. A front-door camera showed Vasallo II arriving home shortly before 6:20 a.m. Dec. 14 while two relatives sat on the front porch at the other home.
One of the relatives told the other “that ‘Gordy’ hit someone on a bicycle,’” the warrant said. Gordy is Vasallo II’s nickname.
Vasallo II was also seen on surveillance camera driving the Mercedes-Benz into the backyard of his relatives’ home just before 11 a.m., according to the warrant.
“The piece of bumper found at the scene was matched up to the vehicle with almost a perfect match,” the arrest warrant said.
Court records detailing the elder Vasallo’s alleged involvement were not available Thursday. The police department did not provide further information about the father’s alleged involvement.
Both men remained in the Broward Main Jail as of Thursday afternoon.