WINTER HAVEN, Fla. — The Polk County Sheriff's Office (PCSO) arrested a suspect involved in a hit-and-run that left a woman dead on Sept. 28.
PCSO announced the booking of Francisco Lapierre into the Polk County Jail on Tuesday, as he faces a first-degree felony charge of with leaving the scene of a crash involving death.
PCSO said around 1:40 p.m. on Sept. 28, Winter Haven Police responded to shots being fired at Kulture nightclub. Shortly after, a 21-year-old woman was hit in the roadway by a suspect who fled. The woman later died from her injuries at the hospital.
Authorities said the main witness at the crash said she and the victim crossed part of the road on 1st Street North and were waiting in the grassy median to cross the second part when the victim decided to cross the rest of the lanes. At the same time, 41-year-old Lapierre was fleeing from the scene of the shooting in his 2005 Porsche Cayenne when he hit the woman and drove away.
Investigators tracked down the vehicle and found it was registered to a man in Palm Beach County. When they interviewed the man, he said the vehicle had recently been transferred to him by his uncle, Lapierre.
A forensics test showed the vehicle had been involved in a crash and ran over something. Detectives then interviewed Lapierre, who admitted to "running something over" and transferring the registration, according to authorities.
PCSO said Lapierre will make his first appearance hearing on Oct. 14.
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